World Rugby expands trial of custom made Women's match ball for 2025 Sevens Series

The ball, designed specifically for female athletes, mirrors the weight of a standard size 5 while adopting a slightly smaller profile. The aim is simple: boost control, enhance accuracy and allow the world’s best players to fully showcase their handling skills without compromising critical aspects of play such as kicking.

The latest expansion of the trial follows its successful introduction at U18 and U20 international competitions, plus domestic trials in Spain and Colombia and elite club training environments. The feedback has been clear—players feel the ball supports a quicker, cleaner, more expressive game.

World Rugby says the move is part of its long-term commitment to shaping a women’s game built for the athletes who play it, rather than mirroring the men’s equivalent. Other major global sports such as basketball, cricket, football and athletics, already use female-specific equipment, and rugby appears to be taking a long-awaited step in the same direction.

Player feedback from the SVNS competitions will now be added to ongoing data collection, with final decisions guided by both athlete input and thorough analysis of game metrics and injury trends.

Melodie Robinson, Chair of World Rugby’s Women’s High Performance Committee, said:
“World Rugby is committed to supporting women’s rugby in forging its own path to suit our players, not just following the history of the men’s game. In trialing this new ball we’re focused on player feedback and giving them the best possible stage to showcase their world-class skills. I’d like to thank Gilbert for their support in developing this updated ball and I look forward to seeing the amazing things our superstar players can do with it in HSBC SVNS.”

Richard Gray, Gilbert Commercial CEO, added:
”We are delighted to have been working alongside World Rugby on these ball developments for several years, for the enhancement of the women’s game. The introduction of the new balls into the HSBC SVNS Series is a sign of the success of previous trials and the quality of the product trialed so far. We’re pleased to be at the centre of the development of the global game, following an incredible Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 and are committed to working closely with World Rugby to build on this momentum to grow the women’s game globally.”