BBC Rugby Union: Exploring a Smaller Ball for the Women’s Game
In a move to enhance the women’s rugby union gameplay, the global governing body World Rugby is considering the use of a smaller ball. The organization is currently collecting training and playing data on the size 4.5 ball, which is about 3% smaller and 3-4% lighter than the standard size 5 ball used in the men’s game.
According to Lindsay Starling, the science and medical manager at World Rugby, “typically an adult male hand is 10% larger” than that of an adult female. This size discrepancy has prompted the exploration of a more proportionate ball for the women’s rugby union community.
“The women’s playing community is quite divided,” Starling noted. “There’s a big proportion of individuals in this community that think and feel that retaining the use of the same equipment in the men’s game is important.”
World Rugby has committed to trialing the size 4.5 ball in the women’s game, with data gathered at the recent Women’s Under-18s Six Nations tournament and from three Celtic Challenge sides during training. The findings from this data will be shared once available.
The potential benefits of a smaller ball, as suggested by Starling, include it being “in better proportion to the female athletes’ hands,” which could lead to “numerous positive benefits.” This theory proposes that a more hand-friendly ball could result in fewer knock-ons in contact, increased passing speed and accuracy, and potentially a faster-paced game with fewer rucks and scrums.
Changes to equipment in women’s sports are not unprecedented. In basketball, the WNBA uses a ball one inch smaller in circumference than the NBA, while in football, the focus on developing boots specifically for female players has increased due to concerns over ACL injuries.
As the rugby union community continues to explore ways to enhance the women’s game, the discussion around equipment, such as a smaller ball, presents an opportunity to forge a unique path for the sport. While resistance to change is inevitable, embracing data-driven research could potentially benefit future generations of women’s rugby union players.
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