- Kit Radar
- Posts
- 105 - World Cup Dual Valve Rugby Ball
ASK KIT RADAR:
Dual-valve rugby balls; is it a game-changer?
This is from Ruby Griffiths of Cardiff, UK.
Part of our ASK-KR series, where our subscribers send us a question and we try to answer it, or give our best opinion.
To answer any question, we ask our industry colleagues, delve into the research and / or conduct tests.
So, let’s talk about the new Gilbert Dual-valve Rugby World Cup Ball….
Received this from a colleague? 🧑🏻👩🏼🦲👵🏽👳🏾♂️👧🏿
THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
East Sussex, 23 May 2023 – Gilbert announces that the Official Match Ball of Rugby World Cup 2023 will feature a new dual valve technology, ensuring the most balanced rugby match ball ever produced.
The introduction of a patented Gilbert Duo Valve, positioned in-seam, assists with the balance and rotation of the ball and also allows for a seamless transition to a smart connected ball, via a partnership with Gilbert’s exclusive technology partner, Sportable Technology.
In development and testing for nearly two years, the Gilbert iNNOVO match ball is an evolution in rugby match ball technology. Throughout prototype testing technical alterations were been made to improve the precision, accuracy and consistency of the ball.
WHY DUAL-VALVE?
Well, back in 2008 whilst we were young Ph.D. students in Sports Technology at Loughborough University, England, UK., there was a young man named Chris Holmes, now Dr. Chris Holmes, who was a serious rugby fan, semi-pro player, with a technical engineering brain.
He enrolled in a Ph.D., supported by adidas, and the team were interested in understanding more about rugby ball flight (amongst other things).
Chris, through extensive research & testing, realised that there was plenty of design features that impacted rugby ball flight. The most interesting and unusual (at the time) where:
position of impact
orientation angle of the ball
position of the valve at impact
Changing any or all of these factors induced wobble, of varying magnitudes.
Of course, when you are writing a Ph.D. you can’t submit with the word wobble unless you define it. So Chris referred to it as, “unstable rotation about the axis with the intermediate moment of inertia, which induced wobble”.
Three years later (yes, one of the few to get a Ph.D. on time), and 100’s of tests with prototype balls later, results showed that “the inclusion of multiple valves, within the dynamically balanced bladder, resulted in stable rotation about all principle axes”.
Otherwise known as less wobble.
Why? There is a simple explanation and a more technical explanation. We will lead you with Chris’s Ph.D. for the latter. As for the simple explanation.
The valve is in it’s simplest terms is extra material therefore extra weight (& stiffness). To create balance, we must distribute that weight (& stiffness) evenly across the whole surface.
Imagine a clump of grass on the side of a golf ball, mud on an American Football, etc.
It wobbles.
Its just that designers never realised that they created unintended circumstances by adding, what could be perceived to be normal, a valve.
Yet there was such a simple solution to counteract this wobble, balance. Create balls with multiple valves (well in reality extra material) and you have a more stable ball flight.
Sorry, in Ph.D. terms “ increase the consistency of the dynamic behaviour of the ball”
So, Gilbert have finally worked this out and put “dual-valves” in their rugby balls. To be honest, this could have been happening for years but it is their marketing story today.
If you would like to read Chris’s Ph.D. it is published here:
There are other research articles like this like the image below from Seo (2006)
DOES IT WORK?
Yes, we seen first hand how science uncovered a phenomena that we could alter for the better of the game.
Learn more about us
Thanks for your support!!!! 🙌💕
Kitradar Ltd nor its employees advocate the use of any products on this email. Please do your own research and consult a relevant professional and/or physician before consuming or using any products listed
None of the content is sponsored, we simply love the work they do and think it will spark a little bit of inspiration over your coffee break. If something is sponsored in the future we will let you know!