England Players Raise Concerns Over Size 4 Ball Consistency in Women’s Rugby Trial
England players have voiced frustration over the size 4 rugby ball being trialed in the women’s game, citing inconsistent shape and inflation levels that affect performance on the international stage.
Ball Shape and Inflation Variability
Fly-half Holly Aitchison and centre Tatyana Heard both highlighted issues with the ball changing shape during the current international window. Aitchison said the squad “played around” with how much the ball was blown up, adding: “In previous weeks it was actually a bit fatter, and then this week it definitely feels smaller.”
Heard agrees, saying: “There needs to be a bit more done in terms of how the balls are made. We had some new balls today versus the ones we’ve had for the last three weeks [and the difference] is massive.”
She explained the practical impact: “If you’ve been training with an old ball that’s fat to then go into a game and it’s a completely different shape, actually that makes a massive difference as well, which I think is something that you don’t necessarily find so much in the size five.”
Trial Background and Data Requests
The size 4 ball has already been trialled in the Under-18s and Under-20s Women’s Six Nations as well as the HSBC Sevens Series. Heard says she would “love to see the data on if it actually has made a difference”.
BBC Sport put that request to World Rugby but did not receive any data. A spokesperson said: “The balls haven’t been used in the international XVs environment yet so there isn’t directly comparable data to share with players either directly or via their unions.”
The spokesperson added: “Once we’ve built up a large enough data set of player responses, match official responses and game data we’ll publish the results of the trial so it’ll be available to the full range of players and stakeholders across the game.”
Players Feel Like ‘Guinea Pigs’
Some players are frustrated as they feel they have become guinea pigs on the global stage. That frustration is compounded by the fact they will return to their clubs where the league season will be played with a size five ball once again.
Trial Timeline and Next Steps
BBC Sport asked World Rugby when the trial period is likely to conclude, and were told: “We’ll be able to assess our position on women’s 15s once the international window has started. This will allow for completion of the WXV tournaments and full analysis in early 2027. The evidence to date suggests that further exposure produces greater results.”
While it looks like players and coaches will get to see the data in early 2027, any wider outcomes or decisions might take longer.
