Smaller ball for women makes it 'harder to do my job'

World Rugby is trialling a size 4.5 ball—about three percent smaller than the men’s size 5 but with the same weight—during the September‑October WXV Global Series, where England will face Australia, Canada and New Zealand. England hooker May Campbell, who throws in at line‑outs, said the new ball can “go a bit skew‑whiff,” while fly‑half Helena Rowland noted that even a slight mis‑kick produces a “massive” difference, and passes are dying out faster than with the larger ball. Not all reactions are negative; Wales wing Lisa Neumann praised the improved grip, but the majority of England players report that the smaller ball makes core tasks harder, with Rowland stating she has not found any positive impact on her kicking or off‑loading ability.

The trial is intended to align equipment with women’s physiology, mirroring other sports where women use smaller balls or lower hurdles, and the ball has already been tested at under‑18 and under‑20 Women’s Six Nations and the HSBC Sevens Series. However, players highlight inconsistencies in ball shape and inflation, noting that some balls felt “fatter” in earlier weeks and “definitely smaller” later, which compounds the challenge of adapting after years of training with a size 5. England head coach John Mitchell cautioned that it is too early to judge, insisting that comprehensive feedback from players, coaches and officials—collected via surveys—will inform any final decision after the opening three Tests.

Players also worry about being “guinea pigs” on the world stage, especially since they will revert to the size 5 ball for club competition after the trial. Rowland expressed a desire for concrete data on whether the smaller ball improves performance, but World Rugby said no comparable international XV data exists yet and that results will be published once a sufficient dataset of player and match‑official responses is compiled. The outcome of the trial could shape equipment standards for women’s rugby globally, influencing training regimes, match tactics and the broader conversation about gender‑specific adaptations in the sport.

⚡ Effects Interpreter