World's first 'smart' rugby ball to be used in Varsity Cup semis

The Varsity Cup will use a Smart Ball during Friday's semi-finals at Tuks Stadium as well as Monday's final at the same venue.

The ball, which has received rave reviews in the UK and Europe, took five years to develop.

"Fans can expect insightful statistics throughout SuperSport's live broadcasts as well as awesome in-game graphics on the Varsity Cup’s social media platforms," a statement on the official Varsity Cup website read.

"With existing data capture technologies having hit their ceiling, ball tracking data creates a digital impression of the most meaningful on-field events. This digital blueprint is far more complex than the event data currently produced for rugby."

Dugald Macdonald, Sportable founder and CEO, said they were excited about the opportunity to work with Varsity Cup and SuperSport in providing solutions to fans and coaches in South Africa.

"Varsity Cup's reputation for pioneering new developments in the game is second to none, so we view the introduction of the Smart Ball on Friday as just the start of a long, exciting partnership," he said.

In Friday's semi-finals, Maties tackle Tuks at 17:00, before the table-topping UCT Ikeys and NWU Eagles duel at 19:00.

The device inside the Gilbert x Sportable Smart Ball tracks the following key events during a rugby match:

- Kicks in play

- Goal kicks

- Restart kicks

- Lineouts

- Passes 

- Possession

- Territory

- Ruck speed

In future competitions, the Gilbert x Sportable Smart Ball will be used to instantly detect and alert referees to forward passes.

The data metrics include:

- Distance

- Speed

- Trajectory

- Hang-time

- Spin rate

- Spiral efficiency

- Reload time (time from catching to passing)

- Start/end time

- Start/end coordinates 

- Angle to posts 

- Kick difficulty and success