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INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Kick and Miss

Is the ball to blame for off-target World Cup kicking performances?

Goal-kicking has been the biggest talking point over the opening days of the Rugby World Cup and whether or not a new ball is causing problems for some.

WE’VE HEARD IT all before.

Is a new ball – be it a football, tennis ball or rugby ball – playing havoc with competitors at an international tournament?

Following a series of high-profile missed kicks at the Rugby World Cup over the opening three days of the event – by the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Ireland’s Jonathan Sexton, Dan Carter and James Hook – questions have been asked over whether or not the problem is all down to the competition’s new oval balls.

Wilkinson insisted on Saturday that he had connected with the ball well while in action against Argentina – when he missed five of eight kicks in what was his worst display in 13 years of Test rugby – and said afterwards that he simply didn’t know what to correct.

It was also a difficult day with the boot for Argentine kicker Martin Rodriguez in the same fixture, leading to some discussion about Gilbert’s new ‘Virtuo’ ball.

However, it has since been confirmed that England, Ireland, Scotland and France all used the same ball during the 2011 RBS Six Nations Championship – as did the southern hemisphere sides during this summer’s Tri Nations – and Sexton, especially, did have a new kicking routine on display against the US Eagles.

“Mike Ross asked me (if there was an issue with the ball) in the dressing room, and no, there isn’t,” Ronan O’Gara said after Ireland’s win over the US. “I suppose it’s pressure – I’ve watched Jonny Wilkinson for 13 years and haven’t seen that ever before. I was talking to Jonny (Sexton) inside and we go all through it.”

Gilbert, for its part, has been supplying Rugby World Cup balls since 1995 and International Brand Manager, Andrew Challis, said both the company and International Rugby Board (IRB) are delighted with “overwhelmingly positive” feedback to date. He also insisted:

“The ball flies true and does what the kicker asks of it. Tournament rugby brings with it certain pressures. Perhaps that’s an explanation.”

Other theories including weather conditions, wobbly kicking tees (responsible for Chris Paterson’s woeful effort against Romania) and the indoor environment that the England v Argentina game was played in at the Otago Stadium. Either way, it’s a level playing field for all.

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