Section 4: Players & Officials
Team Composition (150 players per team)
Each team of 150 is divided into two groups at the start of the match: an attacking contingent that advances toward the opponent's pole, and a defending contingent that protects their own pole. Roles within each contingent are assigned by team leadership in advance and executed from the opening whistle.
Attacking Roles
- Tukko (突攻, lead attackers): the frontline rush unit; the first wave to make contact with the defensive ring around the opponent's pole. Their task is to break through or displace defenders to expose the pole.
- Scrum unit: a wedge of attackers who drive together in a coordinated push to create a gap through the defending circle and allow deeper attackers to reach the pole.
- Mole (shinobikomi, infiltrators): attackers who attempt to slip through or under the defensive mass, reaching the pole from unexpected angles or through gaps created by the scrum. Their low profile and mobility allow them to grab or pull the pole when others cannot.
- Support/outer attackers: players who occupy the outer defenders and interference players, reducing the number of defenders available to reinforce the inner ring or the pole itself.
Defending Roles
- Pole holders: players who physically cling to the pole — gripping it, adding body weight against the direction of tilt, or bracing at the base. Their mass and grip are the pole's primary resistance to toppling.
- Defensive circle (ring defenders): a ring of players who surround the pole base and actively repel attackers. They form a human barrier between the pole and the incoming scrum.
- Interference players (妨害役, obstructors): mobile defenders positioned outside the defensive circle who stop attackers before they reach the ring — blocking, tackling, and redirecting the incoming rush.
- Rider (天辺, top rider): one defender who climbs to the top of the pole and sits or stands on it, adding weight and shifting the pole's center of gravity against the direction attackers are pushing. The rider's presence significantly increases the force required to tilt the pole to the 30-degree threshold.
Officials
- A panel of judges monitors the angle of each pole throughout the 2-minute match and makes the final determination on angle-judgment decisions when neither pole reaches 30 degrees by time expiry
- NDA event staff manage time, safety intervention, and match officiating