Smaller ball plan for women
R3YAB3 London, UK. 24th Nov 2018. The official match ball during Tyrrells Premier 15s League - Saracens Women against Loughborough Lightning at Allianz Park on Saturday, 24 November 2018. LONDON ENGLAND. (Editorial use only, license required for commercial use. No use in betting, games or a single club/league/player publications.) Credit: Taka G Wu/Alamy Live News
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.”
