The Design
In 1995, Gilbert Rugby became official ball supplier to Rugby World Cup introducing the Barbarian match ball to the stage. Since then, the RWC match ball design has made huge developments, with Sirius being no exception.
The Sirius Match Ball has not only been developed with advanced technology in mind, but a design that coordinates with the RWC 2019 tournament look and feel.
For 2019, Rugby World Cup have designed a look and feel that syndicates the old with the new whilst representing the host nation – Japan at the centre. The main graphical concept used byobu screens traditionally used in Japan to block draughts in the home, alongside the modern rugby influences.
The main graphic uses the screen to represent the 6 sections of a rugby pitch in combination with Mount Fuji and the famous mizuhiki knot – symbolising unity in Japan. Finally, the rising sun at the core of the graphic, illustrates Japan at the heart of the world and the heart of world rugby in 2019.
Using this look and feel, the design for the Sirius Match Ball was then established. The fractal spiral patterns across the ball along with prominent darker colour frames allows the players to distinguish the ball easily on the field during play. As well as this, the rising sun is depicted at both ends of the ball to give players a clear point of reference when it is rotating at any angle.
