I am talking about the Rugby World Cup and the impact of playing in humid conditions. The ball was changed many years ago from leather to a synthetic plastic/rubbery coated ball.
There were a few reasons behind it mainly the leather ball got very heavy and slippery when it was wet and made handling very difficult. It was sometimes like catching a bar of soap. Another reason was the goal kickers were going past the 60 m mark and most of the points being scored during a match were from kicks and not tries. A goal kicker can still obtain these distances with the wind at his back mind you as the ball is lighter and gets carried a lot further.
Today and throughout the world cup the humidity has made the handling of the ball awkward. Sweaty hands and fingers catching a damp ball is still creating problems for the players. Some players are using sticky cream (hand ball) and others using tape on their fingers.
I was thinking why don't they have a ball for wet conditions or humid conditions and then use the normal ball for dry conditions. The players are in the entertainment business and creating less mistakes and speeding the game up is what it should all be about.
My mind is saying instead of some players using a sticky cream why not make the ball surface sticky. That to me makes more sense and the technology is already out there today. The Select company has come up with a Maxi Grip ball that has a sticky surface. The ball doesn't have to be overly sticky as it would hinder passing, but enough to make it less slippery. I expect to see this introduced at some point as that seems the most logical thing to do.
This ball would make it more about the skill again and less with luck or whatever creams you are using or rubber bands etc. The Sharks Rugby team based in Durban actually train with wet balls. The reason behind it is during February and March Durban is very humid and visiting teams struggle with the handling. The Sharks have used these conditions to their advantage. It just makes sense to come up with a ball that helps and assists players for the different conditions.
