ruck1

noun

• 1 Rugby a loose scrum formed around a player with the ball on the ground: players will be encouraged to go to the ground when tackled to form a ruckCompare with maul.
• Australian Rules a group of three players who follow the play without fixed positions.

• 2a tightly packed crowd of people:Harry squeezed through the ruck to order another pint
• (the ruck) the mass of ordinary people or things:education was the key to success, a way out of the ruck

verb

• take part in a ruck: too often the pack failed to ruck as a unit (as noun rucking)in the games so far the pack has mixed its rucking and mauling well