World Rugby is considering the use of a smaller ball in the women’s game and is collecting data on the size 4.5 ball which is about 3 per cent smaller and lighter than a size 5 ball.
Lindsay Starling, science and medical manager at World Rugby, said: “The women’s playing community is quite divided. 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.

“So World Rugby have committed to trialling what actually happens if women play with the smaller ball.”

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