The game of rugby was born, when, the folk tale goes, in 1823 a young man named William Webb Ellis caught and ran with the ball while playing association football --- or, as Americans know it, soccer --- at the Rugby School in Warwickshire, England, according to the Rugby Football Union website. By the late 1860s, specialized rugby balls were being designed for the game. The technology and shape of the rugby ball has evolved in the years since.
Gilbert
The history and technological development rugby balls is influenced heavily by the Gilbert company. William Gilbert was the supplier of balls to the Rugby School when Ellis made his mark, the Gilbert Rugby website reports. Generations of Gilberts succeeded William and have kept Gilbert rugby balls the most famous and widely used in the world.
Pig Bladders
Early technology of the rugby ball was basic. The balls made by Gilbert were inflated pig bladders with a leather casing stitched around them. The pig's bladder was oval in shape when inflated, so this became the set shape for the ball, the BBC Sport website explains. There was no standard size of ball --- it depended on the size of the pig bladder used.
Early Technological Development
As rugby and the Gilbert ball went global, differing regions developed different preferences for ball design. James John Gilbert, who took over the company in 1906, started to offer variations in design. Australia and New Zealand preferred a torpedo-shaped ball, while South African players liked a wider, eight-panel ball than the four- or six-panel model favored by northern European countries, the Gilbert website notes.
Modern Synthetic
Leather was used for rugby balls up until the 1980s, when it gave way to the synthetic materials used as of 2011. These allow for better grip and for the ball to keep its shape during the game. A great deal of science and testing goes into making a modern rugby ball, the BBC reports: For example, the Gilbert Xact ball, used for the 2003 Rugby World Cup, evolved during some 18 months of testing that included wind tunnel tests.
Member Comments