Lifeless rugby forward in stalemate (8)
I believe the answer is:
deadlock
'stalemate' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'lifeless rugby forward' is the wordplay.
'lifeless' becomes 'dead' (similar in meaning).
'rugby forward' becomes 'lock' (lock is an example).
'dead'+'lock'='DEADLOCK'
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for deadlock that I've seen before include "tie" , "Impasse, standoff" , "Stalemate - impasse" , "Something opened by a key - stalemate" , "Intractable problem" .)