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Rugby Ball

Know the rugby ball dimensions and why pressure is important. Know all about and use the unusual shape and bounce to your advantage.

All about the ball

It's oval! That means it bounces strangely.
It's unpredictable.

Or is it?

Get to know the ball.

The best way is to own a ball.
Get a decent quality ball.
It should last longer,
be more enjoyable to play with and
be more like the ones in rugby games.

Rugby balls have official dimensions

length 280 - 300 mm
circumference, long way round 740 - 770 mm
circumference, short way round 580 - 620 mm
weight 410 - 460 gms
the air pressure in the ball at the start of the game must be 0.67 - 0.70 kg/sq cm or 9.5 - 10.0 lbs/sq inch

Smaller rugby balls may be used by young players.

If you can, experiment
   with the amount of air in it when
   you are able to measure the pressure in the ball.
I have a neat little ball pressure gauge
with a needle attached
that helps me do this (see picture above).

Then you'll have enough experience to
be able to tell if a ball is at the right pressure
   even when you can't measure it.

You'll be the expert!

Here's why it's useful to know

too soft - hard to catch, too bouncy
too soft - hard to kick, foot sinks into the ball, can't kick as far

just right - easy catching and passing and control
just right - easy kicking, rebounds well from your foot

too hard - hard to catch, can damage fingers
too hard - hard to kick, like kicking a brick, poor rebound from foot

What the ball's worth

It's not important what you paid for it!
The ball is valuable in rugby games.
You must use the ball to score points
and you must score points to win.

Once you get possession,
make sure you treasure possession!
Improve your ability to keep possession.
The more you handle the ball
the more you will find you are confident.
You will find out more at rugby handling.

carry it around at home
outside, throw it from hand to hand...practice a normal pass

throw it in the air and catch it - ready for catching the high ball
throw in the air with one hand, catch with the other
hold the ball and do stretching and bending exercises

run with it
run with it and move it from one arm to the other
run with it, throw it up in front and run on to catch it (you would not normally throw forwards but this gives some experience catching the ball while running).

How the rugby ball bounces

Yes, it's a bit unpredicatable, but
you will improve your ball skills
when you avoid being annoyed
and have fun with the ball.

You can be like rugby players who are able
to control the ball,
make the ball do what they want.
They weren't born like that!

They find out or are shown,
then they practice.
They might not call it practice
so don't you call it practice.
They may just say they "play about" a lot
to see what it does in different situations.

Kick it in different ways.
Find out how to make it roll.
Learn how to do the rolling grubber kick
so it can be easily grounded.
It needs to roll evenly on the ground,
maybe try rolling it by hand at first.

Find out how to make it "pop up"
to be grabbed by a running player.
It needs to be rolling end over end on the long side.
Do it when you learn the bouncing grubber kick.

Work out how you
position the rugby ball on your foot
to get results you want.
You'll learn a lot
when you experiment.
For tips on how to place the ball...look at rugby kicking.

Avoid throwing the ball in the air when you kick.
Work hard to place the ball onto your foot.
Place the ball accurately
and you will kick accurately and kick the ball well.

So, search for knowledge of the rugby ball and
use fun repetition
to build experience
so you can be confident
you will put it all together on the field!

Return from Rugby Ball to Basic Rugby Rules

Evtechs Sports Training
Sydney, Australia