2026-05-06 11:30:36
Zoe Harrison has blasted the decision to use smaller balls in women’s rugby.
The England fly-half has responded after the news size 4.5 balls – which are the same weight by 3 percent smaller than regulation size five – are to be used for the WXC Global Series tournament in September and October.
Harrison told BBC Sport: “It’s the worst decision that someone has ever made.”
A trial was held by World Rugby in November last year with a number of female players in the Sevens circuit, and the decision was announced last month.
Harrison and her England teammates will face Canada three times in the new Test rugby showcase.
However, she argued: “I’ve not kicked any less than a size five since I was the age of 14.
“There is not the same amount of surface area for you to wrap your foot around.”
Other sports have made similar accommodations for female body types, including lighter and smaller basketballs, or lower spring hurdles.
Men’s hands are generally 10 to 15 percent bigger than women’s, and the aim of the smaller rugby ball is to reduce handling errors while improving accuracy.
Meanwhile, World Rugby says there has been a positive response from players who have used the current version of the new ball.
Despite that, critics have argued there will be an increased cost for grassroots clubs, and the smaller ball could damage the reputation of the women’s game.
World Rugby’s chief player welfare and rugby services officer, Mark Harrington, confirmed that they will take “player feedback” into account following the tournament later this year.
He said: “Along with the sevens players, we’ll carefully take stock of player feedback, injury surveillance and shape of the game data from the WXV Global Series.
“From there, together with the wider women’s game, we’ll assess the findings and look at where we go next.”
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