How It Works

Why are rugby balls oval, not round?

- Kyle Moran

The rugby ball was not always oval shaped. Early rugby balls were made out of inflated pig’s bladders, encased in leather and hand-stitched. The smelly bladders had to be inflated by lung power alone, and therefore the balls varied in size – they were more plum-shaped than oval. In 1870 Richard Lindon invented an inflatable rubber bladder and a brass hand pump. Because of the stretchy rubber, the shape gradually changed from a sphere to an oval. Over the years, the shape has changed slightly to make the ball more streamline­d for passing and easier to hold.

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