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Women currently play with a size 5 ball
World Rugby is considering using a smaller ball in the women's game.
The global governing body collects training and game data on the size 4.5 ball. This is about 3% smaller and 3-4% lighter than a typical size 5 ball.
Lindsay Starling, science and medical manager at World Rugby, said: “Typically an adult man’s hand is 10% larger” than an adult woman’s.
“The women’s gaming community is pretty divided,” Starling said.
“There is a large proportion of individuals in this community who think and feel that it is important to maintain the same equipment in men's football.”
“That’s why World Rugby is committed to testing what actually happens when women play with the smaller ball.”
World Rugby confirmed match data was collected from the Women's Under-18s Six Nations, where teams played with a size 4.5 ball this month, while training data was collected from three Celtic Challenge teams.
Outputs on these dates will be shared as they become available.
Starling said the smaller ball had a “better relationship to the female athlete's hands” and could provide “numerous positive benefits.”
The theory is that by being better proportioned to the player, the ball would be easier to hold, there would be less jolt upon contact, and passing speed and accuracy would be increased.
This could then lead to a faster game with fewer rucks and scrums, while kicks and lineout throws could also mean improvements in accuracy and distance.
Equipment changes in women's sports are not a new concept. In basketball, the WNBA uses a ball that is one inch smaller in circumference than the one in the NBA. The 28.5-inch ball is also used by women and girls aged 12 and over, as well as boys aged 12 to 14.
In football, the increasing number of female players with cruciate ligament injuries is leading to increased focus on the development of football boots for women.
Earlier this week, the Rugby Football Union confirmed that £12.3 million already committed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport would be used to encourage more women and girls into rugby as part of its Impact '25 program to support.
analysis
Women's rugby can follow its own path, be it in terms of governance, tournament structure, finances, playing experience, facilities or equipment. Some ideas could change the face of sport for the greater good. Others will fall by the wayside as non-starters.
There will always be resistance to change when a concept like a smaller ball is discussed – this is certainly not the first time. Some who have tried a smaller ball really liked the experience and felt it improved their game. Others don't feel like it.
Remaining closed to new data and research opportunities seems like a missed opportunity. They could potentially benefit future generations of gamers.
This is true even if the data shows that a smaller ball is not good for the future of the women's game.
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