RWC ball shown off at Newlands
by Gavin Rich 14 April 2011, 23:25
The official ball that will be used at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand later this year was launched and then shown off at a function at Newlands on Thursday morning.
Named the Gilbert Virtuo, the newest development from Gilbert differs from predecessors in terms of design and in the technology behind its development, with a trio of former Springbok kicking experts who attended the launch all giving it a resounding thumbs-up.
Braam van Straaten hurried to Cape Town on an early flight after helping out the Lions on Wednesday and was effusive in his praise for the new ball, which he helped to test while last year’s Tri-Nations series was being played.
“The ball travels perfectly through the air. It’s aerodynamic and with the adaptation Gilbert has made to both the strength and the bladder it is a pleasure to kick,” said Van Straaten.
“Of course a lot depends on the climate and ultimately the pressure of the ball, but my experience shows that this is an amazing ball and it has been a pleasure to test. I have no doubt that it will meet all the relevant expectations of the players and the referees participating in the Rugby World Cup 2011.”
Dutoit Botes, the South African general manager of the Gilbert company, explained that the new ball has been developed using new rubber compounds as well as a unique grip service, with more “wrinkles”, that has a profound impact on the flight of the ball as well as on the out of hand handling by players.
"It has also been put through stringent scientific tests," said Botes.
Not only does the ball appear to meet all the technical specifications but is also with the Rugby World Cup 2011 “look and feel” – the design unique to the coming World Cup was developed in collaboration between Rugby World Cup Limited and local Moari artists.
The look for the 2011 Rugby World Cup is a stylistic interpretation of the hammerhead shark (mangopare) and the fern shoot (koru).
Apart from Van Straaten the other former Bok kickers who put the ball through its flight paces and helped coach some local celebrities to kick it, were Louis Koen and Springbok kicking coach Percy Montgomery.
The general consensus was that the ball will meet the expectations of everyone involved at the World Cup.
Sport 24 reports that Montgomery gave the ball the thumbs up.
"It's a much better ball than the one that was used at the last World Cup."
And Montgomery knows what he's talking about. He was the leading point scorer at the 2007 tournament in France, where he notched 105 points, of which 95 came from penalties.
"I think we will see that the players get more distance on their kicks and the dimples on the ball will make handling easier in the wet."
South Africa's opponents could therefore have nightmares about what Frans Steyn will be capable of with the new ball. The utility back is renowned for his ability to slot long-distance penalties.
"This ball is going to travel if you strike it in the sweet spot. The sweet spot on the new ball is also bigger, so the guys will be kicking it far," Montgomery predicted.
The former Springbok fullback also encourages players to use torpedo kicks out of hand.
"If you kick a torpedo with this ball, it's going to travel really far."