THERE’S ENOUGH GOING through a hooker’s mind when standing over their first lineout throw of the day, but on Sunday, Cliodhna Moloney MacDonald will have a new consideration to add to the mix.
This weekend, Ireland take on the US Eagles in the opening fixture of their WXV Global Series campaign, a window in which World Rugby are trialling the use of a size 4.5 ball. The new ball is about 3% smaller than a size five.
Getting to grips with the new dimensions has formed a key part of Ireland’s training camp, and not all are fully on board on the switch.
“It’s not in the domestic game, so when you come in you’ve got quite a short window to get used to it,” Moloney-MacDonald says.
The 33-year-old was speaking to the media in Abbotstown on Thursday. Bryan Keane
Bryan Keane
“I’m not sure about the ball quality. I know the balls that we play with for Six Nations and other competitions, there’s quite a lot of research and technology put into the development of those balls because they’re the same as the ones that are used for men’s Six Nations etc, they’re very high quality.
“These ones, probably for hookers, it is difficult. You don’t play with them in the domestic window and they are slightly lighter. So I guess in windy or rainy conditions, the flight doesn’t hold as true.
“I think a lot of people have mentioned that your technique has to be quite on point, otherwise it will be difficult to throw it in.
“It’s confusing for me because World Rugby seem to want to speed up that lineout process and if there’s no compete in the air, they’ll let the not-straights go, but this ball is actually going to make that probably more difficult.
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“I think maybe 12 years ago it would have been a good idea, but for me, it’s not. The game has gone beyond that now.”
The issue is not just relevant to those throwing into a lineout.
“I’ve heard some interesting feedback from kickers. I don’t think it holds its flight as long in that plane either. It is susceptible to windy conditions, I would say.
“I don’t think the benefit is going to outweigh the problematic changes,” Moloney-MacDonald continues.
“And even if it is something that’s going to stay in the game, how much is it going to cost? How much is it going to cost domestic clubs to fund this because they share use of balls and equipment and stuff like that with men’s clubs?
“I don’t know, I think it might potentially make women’s rugby more inaccessible, which is probably not what we want.
The Exeter player has been capped 54 times for Ireland. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“I hope they (World Rugby) take the feedback on board. I know they’ve trialled it at U20s, and if the feedback is listened to, then that’s how democracy works, hopefully. That it will be based on the stats and the performances, but also player feedback so that’s all we can really hope for.”
And there could be even more change facing the women’s game. The IRFU are currently in discussions about the possibility of Irish teams merging into England’s Premiership Women’s Rugby as part of a potential revamp of the league.
Moloney-MacDonald, capped 54 times for Ireland, knows the English system well, having been on the books at Exeter Chiefs since 2022. The 33-year-old says she would welcome any such merger.
“I think it would be great. The PWR is full of a whole variety of internationals that pose lots of different threats and opportunities, so any chance that they (Irish players) get throughout the year to play against those is brilliant.
“The Celtic Challenge added in that level for a little while, but it would definitely be a step-up just in terms of the amount of games that they’ll be playing. That would be brilliant because obviously they’d be home and away every single weekend, it would be 18 fixtures or 16 fixtures, whatever it is.
“So yeah, it’d be excellent. I don’t know what the plan is, whether it’s one team or two teams, or I know it’s been thrown around that it would be coming in from ‘27, and I think that’d be great.”
Sunday’s game sees the Ireland women play in Tallaght for the first time, but after the record crowds of the 2026 Six Nations, there is disappointment about the game not being broadcast live on free-to-air TV, with the game instead available on the TG4 Player and YouTube channel.
“This kind of window is a bit of a strange time for traditional rugby supporters or viewership anyway,” Moloney-MacDonald says.
“It’s happening everywhere, even the Red Roses were only on streamable services (recently), not on mainstream TV. So it is a bit of a challenge across the board.
“I don’t know what the solution is. I guess because it’s an untraditional window for rugby and it’s probably a new format style of a World Rugby competition, but maybe going forward we would like to hope that it would be on mainstream TV. That’s always the best-case scenario.”
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Moloney-MacDonald: New ball trial 'might make women's rugby more inaccessible'
THERE’S ENOUGH GOING through a hooker’s mind when standing over their first lineout throw of the day, but on Sunday, Cliodhna Moloney MacDonald will have a new consideration to add to the mix.
This weekend, Ireland take on the US Eagles in the opening fixture of their WXV Global Series campaign, a window in which World Rugby are trialling the use of a size 4.5 ball. The new ball is about 3% smaller than a size five.
Getting to grips with the new dimensions has formed a key part of Ireland’s training camp, and not all are fully on board on the switch.
“It’s not in the domestic game, so when you come in you’ve got quite a short window to get used to it,” Moloney-MacDonald says.
“I’m not sure about the ball quality. I know the balls that we play with for Six Nations and other competitions, there’s quite a lot of research and technology put into the development of those balls because they’re the same as the ones that are used for men’s Six Nations etc, they’re very high quality.
“These ones, probably for hookers, it is difficult. You don’t play with them in the domestic window and they are slightly lighter. So I guess in windy or rainy conditions, the flight doesn’t hold as true.
“I think a lot of people have mentioned that your technique has to be quite on point, otherwise it will be difficult to throw it in.
“I think maybe 12 years ago it would have been a good idea, but for me, it’s not. The game has gone beyond that now.”
The issue is not just relevant to those throwing into a lineout.
“I’ve heard some interesting feedback from kickers. I don’t think it holds its flight as long in that plane either. It is susceptible to windy conditions, I would say.
“I don’t think the benefit is going to outweigh the problematic changes,” Moloney-MacDonald continues.
“And even if it is something that’s going to stay in the game, how much is it going to cost? How much is it going to cost domestic clubs to fund this because they share use of balls and equipment and stuff like that with men’s clubs?
“I don’t know, I think it might potentially make women’s rugby more inaccessible, which is probably not what we want.
“I hope they (World Rugby) take the feedback on board. I know they’ve trialled it at U20s, and if the feedback is listened to, then that’s how democracy works, hopefully. That it will be based on the stats and the performances, but also player feedback so that’s all we can really hope for.”
And there could be even more change facing the women’s game. The IRFU are currently in discussions about the possibility of Irish teams merging into England’s Premiership Women’s Rugby as part of a potential revamp of the league.
Moloney-MacDonald, capped 54 times for Ireland, knows the English system well, having been on the books at Exeter Chiefs since 2022. The 33-year-old says she would welcome any such merger.
“I think it would be great. The PWR is full of a whole variety of internationals that pose lots of different threats and opportunities, so any chance that they (Irish players) get throughout the year to play against those is brilliant.
“The Celtic Challenge added in that level for a little while, but it would definitely be a step-up just in terms of the amount of games that they’ll be playing. That would be brilliant because obviously they’d be home and away every single weekend, it would be 18 fixtures or 16 fixtures, whatever it is.
“So yeah, it’d be excellent. I don’t know what the plan is, whether it’s one team or two teams, or I know it’s been thrown around that it would be coming in from ‘27, and I think that’d be great.”
Sunday’s game sees the Ireland women play in Tallaght for the first time, but after the record crowds of the 2026 Six Nations, there is disappointment about the game not being broadcast live on free-to-air TV, with the game instead available on the TG4 Player and YouTube channel.
“This kind of window is a bit of a strange time for traditional rugby supporters or viewership anyway,” Moloney-MacDonald says.
“It’s happening everywhere, even the Red Roses were only on streamable services (recently), not on mainstream TV. So it is a bit of a challenge across the board.
“I don’t know what the solution is. I guess because it’s an untraditional window for rugby and it’s probably a new format style of a World Rugby competition, but maybe going forward we would like to hope that it would be on mainstream TV. That’s always the best-case scenario.”
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