If you're considering purchasing a rugby ball, follow our comprehensive guide below to find the right rugby ball to suit your individual needs. Ball handling skills can prove essential to the game, but its knowing which rugby ball to choose that can have the biggest effect on your game.
Rugby balls come in four different sizes and possess a variety of qualities. The ball is oval in shape and was originally constructed using a pig's bladder! The bladder was oval in shape which is how the design was developed.
History
William Webb Ellis was the first man to catch and run with a rugby ball whilst he was a pupil at Rugby School during the early 1800s, and although it was against the rules at the time, it was the first resemblance to the modern day rugby game.
Sizes
Rugby balls come in 4 sizes so it is important to choose the right sized ball for your game - if the sizing is incorrect it will affect your ability to improve technique and ball handling, and you'll have difficulty passing. It's a good idea to train with the same size balls as you will use for matches to achieve maximum performance. Take a look at our size chart below to determine the right size ball for you.
| Rugby Ball Size | Age Group |
|---|---|
| Size 3 (Mini) | Under 7, U8 & U9 |
| Size 4 (Junior) | Under 10, U11, U12, U13 & U14 |
| Size 4.5 (Women) | Under 15 and above to senior rugby |
| Size 5 (Men) | Under 15 and above to senior rugby |
Practice
When practicing for a match, it is strongly advised that you use the same balls, or similar to the ones you will use during the game in order to achieve maximum performance. However, for alternative training, you can opt for a weighted rugby ball. This type of ball is similar in size to a normal rugby ball but twice as heavy (around 1kg as opposed to 460g). The weight of the ball makes it a challenge to pass, so is a good option for players looking to improve their wrist strength and long passing.
SIZE AND SHAPE
World Rugby requires that the official size 5 rugby ball be oval and made of 4 panels that are leather or a suitable synthetic material.
There are variations between ‘official’ balls, however, as World Rugby allows balls to have a length in line between 280 and 300 millimeters, an end-to-end circumference of 740 to 770 millimeters, and width circumference of 580 to 620 millimeters.
The degree which the ends are rounded play a huge role in how the ball plays. In general the more pointed the ends, the better the ball is for passing, but the more difficult to kick. More rounded ends are easier to kick and control, but more difficult and slower to pass.
RUGBY BALL GRIP
A textured ‘pimpled’ outer layer provide players with a true grip on the ball. The spacing, shape and depth of the pimples on the ball determines to a large extent how the ball performs. The grip on a rugby ball is carefully considered to balance between how easy a ball is to catch versus how far it can be passed or kicked.
A higher pimple will generally give more grip but reduce kicking distance. The grip pattern can also affect how long the grip will remain on the ball. Lower profile rounder pimples will last longer than higher, angular pimples but they will give less grip. This is why you will see different grip types for different types of rugby.
The needs of 15’s rugby is different from 7’s rugby and even more different than those of touch rugby with each game requiring different levels of kicking and passing.
Grip is also affected by the type of rubber used to make the ball. Natural rubber provides more grip and synthetic rubber provides greater durability. Generally match balls will have a higher ratio of natural rubber to synthetic rubber to provide better grip. Conversely, training balls will generally have more synthetic rubber, to provide a more durable surface compound.
A note on surface types and wet weather. In some cases higher end rugby balls (like the Match XV from Gilbert) use special compounds to perform better in wet conditions than non-treated balls. While this can make a difference, it is more important to consider the type of game being played before considering whether a ball is more designed for wet weather.
PANEL CONSTRUCTION
How a rugby ball’s panels are constructed affects the shape retention, weight and energy transfer properties of the ball. Typically a panel consists of an outer layer where the rubber and grip are present and a number of layers or ‘plys’ between the outer layer and the bladder.
Match balls are generally 3 ply in construction, and training balls are a mixture of 3 ply and 2 ply.
A 3 ply ball will weigh more, and be less affected by wind than a 2 ply ball making it more ideal for kicking and long passing. A 3 ply ball will also generally hold its shape better than a 2 ply ball.
The materials used in the ply’s construction can also affect the way the balls respond to being kicked, especially in regard to how the energy is transferred into the bladder.
You will typically see three main types of materials used in the construction of the ply’s or “layers” below the outer cover. Cotton laminate, poly-cotton laminate, or some sort of polyester or other synthetic material laminate.
Cotton is cheaper than synthetic materials and is not as good at energy transfer (i.e. putting your kicking power into the ball) as synthetics. This is why you see increasingly more cotton construction the lower the quality of ball. The very best match balls have full synthetic ply construction using special energy transferring materials.
No matter how many or what type of ply’s are used, it is important that rugby balls be stored properly away from extreme hot/cold and weather or the shape can be affected over time. Consistently over-inflating or sitting on balls can also alter their shape.
BLADDER
The bladder is probably the most vital component in determining how a rugby ball performs. Bladders are available in different varieties and sizes, depending on the use of the ball. Traditionally, match and training balls use a natural latex bladder, which has high resilience, and provides a ball with good rebound characteristics. The down side of a natural latex bladder is that the surface is permeable, and allows air to pass through it, meaning that the balls need to be correctly re-inflated about once a week. There are advanced co-polymer bladders available, pioneered largely by Gilbert, which have equivalent resilience characteristics to natural latex, but that are non-permeable to air, therefore remaining inflated for much longer periods sometimes upwards of 1-2 months.
Roughly speaking:
Natural Latex: Soft, bounces well, but leaks air.
Butyl Bladders: Offer an excellent combo of feel and air retention, typically in mid- to upper ranged balls*
Proprietary synthetics: Gilbert’s Air-Loc bladder is an excellent example of a co-polymer bladder that retains the qualities of natural latex without losing air. More expensive material used in higher quality balls but results in a ball that should hold air up to 1-2 months.
VALVE SHAPE AND PLACEMENT
The valve provides the means to inflate a Rugby ball, but also plays a key part in how the ball performs. The valve is essentially a weight that creates an imbalance. This can be used to either enhance or detract from the performance of the ball. If the valve is placed and constructed ideally, as in a high quality match ball, the rotation of the ball is improved which increases accuracy and distance of passing and kicking by improving the spiral action. In lower quality training balls the valve can reduce the accuracy and distance when compared to a match ball because the imbalance can offset the spiral action.
As a rough rule of thumb, match balls will have the valve placed in the seam of the ball as this helps distribute the weight to most effectively improve rotation whereas training balls will usually have the valve in the middle of one of the panels which creates a slightly more lopsided spin.
QUALITY TYPES AND SPECIALIZED BALLS
MATCH
Match balls are designed for maximum performance as opposed to low cost and durability. They usually feature more natural rubber for improved grip, valves placed in the seams of the ball to improve spin and flight, more synthetic ply construction, and special internal bladders to further increase trueness of flight. There is a spectrum of match ball quality starting with those that are just a cut above training balls to those that are international quality.
TRAINING
Training Rugby balls are a very cost effective option for practices and low level game play or as an entry point for new players. They are designed with cost and durability in mind rather than maximum short term performance. Training balls tend to be made with more synthetic rubber which makes them more resilient but have less grip than match balls which use more natural rubber.
They also tend to have their valve on the panels as opposed to inside the seam as match balls do. This can cause the balls to not spin or kick quite as true as a match ball. Training balls will usually have ply’s constructed of more cotton as well.
These factors are not as important for practices where simply having enough balls is more important than having a few extremely high performing balls.
SEVENS
Sevens rugby balls are designed to maximize passing and catching performance given the relatively small amount of kicking done compared to 15’s. As a result, the grip is usually very aggressive (high angular dots) and the ball has a slightly narrower, more “torpedo” like shape. This makes the ball easier to handle, but slightly more difficult to kick.