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During the RugbyX tournament, the ball recorded player speeds up to 20.4 miles per hour, with the fastest players from both the men's and the women's teams from England, Ireland, and the U.S.A. The new ball also recorded the total distance traveled by the ball during the entire tournament as 28.4-kilometers
Fremont, CA: Sports technology company Sportable and ball manufacturer Gilbert launched a new 'Smart Rugby Ball' which is set to change the way the audiences and officials watch and measure the game. The new ball was launched at the inaugural RugbyX tournament. The ball can capture every movement on the pitch by both the player and the ball. This new technology will provide the coaches, fans, and event organizers with new insights in the faster format of the game.
During the RugbyX tournament, the ball recorded player speeds up to 20.4 miles per hour, with the fastest players from both the men's and the women's teams from England, Ireland, and the U.S.A.
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The new ball also recorded the total distance traveled by the ball during the entire tournament as 28.4-kilo meters. The longest pass of the tournament, 22.6 meters, was made by the U.S. in the finals. Apart from providing metrics to players and coaches, Sportable's technology was also leveraged by the officials.
"It was fantastic to be a part of the supercharged RugbyX tournament to see the innovations that we have honed over the past four years live in action at such a major event," said Dugald Macdonald, CEO of Sportable. “With Sportable, we want to revolutionize the way people engage with sport, both on and off the pitch- combining the athleticism of real-life on-field action with data-driven insights. RugbyX was a perfect opportunity to see this come together."
With the new 3-D real-time ball tracking feature in play, the new 10-meter height restriction rule was applied in the game with ease. There was no need for interference of play as the officials were alerted when the kick height limit was exceeded. Some of the other features of Sportable's officiating technology include instant detection of forward passes, player-in-front-of-kicker, and offside detection, allowing for accurate rule enforcement with minimal disruption to the game.
"One of our aims in developing RugbyX was to push boundaries and take the sport to a new level, and working with Sportable allowed us to do just that," said Harry Horsley from Rugby X. “The instant data feed from the live on-pitch-action not only allowed us to seamlessly officiate our new 10m kick height restriction but also enhanced the experience for fans. It will be exciting to see this technology throughout rugby and other sports," he added.
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