The Rugby World Cup is the biggest tournament in the sport and so there are a lot of different companies competing to be the rugby ball supplier for the tournament. So let’s take a look at the Rugby World Cup ball.
What is the Rugby World Cup ball? The current Rugby World Cup ball is a Gilbert Rugby ball and features graphics on the ball that are supposed to represent the connection and tradition of the tournament.
If you have been following Rugby for a while now, it would not be massively surprising to hear that the Rugby World Cup ball is a Gilbert Rugby ball. Gilbert has been the Rugby World Cup ball supplier for quite a long time.
The ball features a lot of blue and red, designed to showcase the colours of the French flag which are of course Red, White and Blue. As with any other Gilbert ball, there is solid colour at either end of the ball so you can see it rotate easier during a game.
As has been the same with previous tournaments, there are lots of places online where you can buy replica versions of the ball. The ball should be quite durable and light, able to be thrown around and played for 80 minutes for each game.
Why do they spin the ball in rugby?
If you have ever watched a rugby game before, you would have probably noticed something strange about the way that players pass the ball between each other. Well there is actually a few good reasons for rugby players spinning the ball when passing.
Spinning the rugby ball when passing it makes it more accurate, more stable and easier for the receiving player to catch the ball. When a rugby player passes the ball, they put spin on it so that the ball can be more stable.
If you think about how a bullet works, it is so accurate because it spins when moving through the air. This is the same with a rugby ball, as spinning it makes it be less affected by the air and the wind and so the ball is more accurate.
Being less affected by the air and the wind also means that the ball is more stable in the air. With the ball being more stable in the air, it is much more likely to reach its target and be a lot more predictable.
Spinning the ball also makes it easier for the receiving player to catch the ball. When you are learning to catch a rugby ball you are taught to allow the point of the ball through your hands and catch with your hands in a diamond shape. Spinning the ball makes it a lot easier to catch this way.
One of the other advantages of spinning the ball for the player trying to catch the ball is it makes it less likely for you to injure your fingers. If the ball is not spun then it could hit a players finger and it could cause some sort of finger injury.
Why can’t you throw the ball forward in rugby?
Not being allowed to throw the ball forwards is usually one of the first things you are taught when learning how to play rugby. While a lot of people question this rule, there are very good reasons for that.
You can’t throw the ball forward in rugby because that would be a forward pass and it is against the rules of rugby. The whole point of rugby is to advance the ball forwards and eventually either score points by scoring a try or kicking through the goalposts.
The idea of rugby is that players should run with the ball in their hands and that is how they should advance the ball. If rugby players were allowed to throw the ball forwards, then it would be a completely different sport and it would massively take out a lot of the physicality of rugby.
It is the same reasoning for why you can’t stand in front of a rugby ball when it is kicked by one of your teammates because that would be offside. The offside line is a major part of rugby as it allows the game to be all about different contests on the pitch.
You are allowed to pass a ball backwards in rugby because this is how the game is designed to be played. Passing it backwards means you have to advance the ball forward with the ball in your hands and you can’t just pass it straight into the try line.
Why do Rugby players tap the ball on their foot?
One of the strange things that Rugby players sometimes do during a game is tap the ball on their foot before continuing to play. There is a good reason for this.
Rugby players tap the ball on their foot to take a quick tap from a penalty. When one team wins a penalty because the other team does something illegal, there are four main options. The team can choose to attempt a penalty kick to gain three points. Or if they want territory then they can kick for touch and keep possession.
Team’s can form a scrum from where the penalty was conceded but there is one more option. It is sometimes called a quick tap. Essentially, any player can tap the ball on their foot and play will resume straight away from a penalty. By tapping the ball on their foot, they are starting play again.
It is called a quick tap because it is very often used when the defence are not paying attention after conceding a penalty. When players see space between a defence, they can take the penalty quickly and try to take advantage of a tired defence.
Sometimes this tap is not taken quickly. When a team wins a penalty very close to their opposition’s try line, they can tap the ball and start play again. Taking a quick tap also has the advantage that the opposing team have to be 10 metres back from where the penalty is taken.