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England fly-half Zoe Harrison says the introduction of smaller balls for this autumn’s WXV Global Series is “the worst decision someone has ever made”. Size 4.5 balls – about 3% smaller, but the same weight as a regulation size five – will be used for the tournament in September and October.
Delyth Lloyd is also joined by the BBC’s Rugby reporter Sara Orchard and England World Cup winner Danielle Waterman. Sara explains the issues around the introduction of a new size ball and how frustrated some players are at the prospect of playing with one and the potential extra costs involved. We also hear Sara’s interview with Zoe Harrison.
While, Danielle tells us there is always resistance to change but she’s in favour of the smaller ball and outlines some of the issues she had playing with a size 5 ball during her career. She believes players will adapt to the challenge of playing with a new ball and will ultimately embrace and enjoy it.
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