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Jun 05, 2023

Ireland set to play with new Gilbert Dual Valve Match Ball at Rugby World Cup

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The latest in a long line of Gilbert match balls to be introduced before a Rugby World Cup tournament – having supplied every tournament since 1995 – innovation and performance are at the heart of the iNNOVO match ball, the official Rugby World Cup 2023 match ball.

The introduction of a patented Gilbert Duo Valve, positioned in-seam, assists with the balance and rotation of the ball and also allows for a seamless transition to a smart connected ball, via a partnership with Gilbert's exclusive technology partner, Sportable Technology.

In development and testing for nearly two years, the Gilbert iNNOVO match ball is an evolution in rugby match ball technology. Throughout prototype testing technical alterations were been made to improve the precision, accuracy and consistency of the ball. Many of the successful, and popular, characteristics of the Sirius match ball have been retained to ensure the reliability accustomed with a Gilbert ball remains for international players.

The iNNOVO was introduced to Gilbert Rugby's sponsored International teams in November 2022 and has been used throughout senior men's world rugby international fixtures since, ensuring all teams at RWC 2023 are familiarised with the ball before the tournament kicks off on 8 September, 2023.

World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: "World Rugby is proud to trust Gilbert with the design and manufacture of the official match ball for Rugby World Cup 2023, rugby's biggest and showcase event. Our successful relationship stretches back to 1995 and once again, Gilbert has innovated with the iNNOVO match ball to provide the world's best players with the best possible ball to perform.

"As we celebrate 200 years of rugby and shared heritage, we look forward to an exceptional and transformative Rugby World Cup 2023 in France. Together with Gilbert, we will keep our relentless efforts to innovate and make the game better for players and fans.

Gilbert Rugby Commercial CEO Richard Gray added: "At Gilbert we are committed to continuously improve and elevate the modern game for both players and fans. We are confident that the iNNOVO match ball will allow the world's best players to perform on the biggest stage and light up Rugby World Cup 2023 in France."

"Our longstanding partnership with Rugby World Cup is a great honour for us. It offers the ideal opportunity to unveil another innovative and advanced match ball to the world of rugby."

"We are proud to be celebrating 200 Years of the Gilbert brand in 2023, and it is our constant research, development and relentless drive to produce the best and most innovative products for rugby that sets Gilbert aside as the ball of choice for the World's elite."

iNNOVO is the Official match ball of Rugby World Cup 2023 and will be used in every match of the tournament.

All Mens International teams (using Gilbert rugby balls) from November 2022 onwards have been using the iNNOVO match ball, including throughout Six Nations, Rugby Championship and the Pacific Nations Cup.

Official Gilbert Rugby World Cup 2023 iNNOVO match balls will be available online from 31 May 2023; Official RWC 2023 replica match balls are available now from gilbertrugby.com and the Official RWC 2023 Store

Images & Content from Irish Rugby & Images © Inpho Photography

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Ireland Head Coach Andy Farrell has today named a 42-player Summer Training Squad to begin preparations for the Bank of Ireland Nations Series and Rugby World Cup 2023.

Following the conclusion of the BKT United Rugby Championship and Heineken Champions Cup campaigns, the Ireland Coaching Team have selected an extended panel of players to assemble at the IRFU High Performance Centre on 18th June for the first block of pre-season.

The Ireland squad will train at their Dublin base through June and July ahead of the Bank of Ireland Nations Series which will see Farrell's side fine-tune their preparations for Rugby World Cup 2023 with home matches against Italy (Saturday, 5th August – kick-off 8pm) and England (Saturday, 19th August – kick-off 5.30pm) at Aviva Stadium and a fixture against Samoa at Stade Jean-Dauger in Bayonne (Saturday, 26th August – kick-off 9pm local time/8pm Irish time).

Broadcast details for the Bank of Ireland Nations Series will be confirmed shortly, with tickets for the games against Italy and England at Aviva Stadium available to purchase via Ticketmaster now.

Farrell has included four uncapped players in his Summer Training Squad, with Ulster hooker Tom Stewart called up having been part of the extended Ireland squad during the Guinness Six Nations campaign, while Leinster backs Ciaran Frawley and Jamie Osborne and Munster winger Calvin Nash are rewarded for their performances for their Provinces this season.

Commenting on the squad announcement, Farrell said: "It is exciting to announce our extended training squad for the first phase of Rugby World Cup preparations, and we’re looking forward to assembling in Dublin next month to hit the ground running as a group.

"It's pleasing to see that selection has been as tough as ever, as real quality players have initially been unfortunate to have missed out. I’m sure that camp will be competitive enough as we grow minds and bodies and look to push on with our game from last season.

"In the meantime, it's important that we freshen up for a busy and exciting summer ahead, so we’re ready to get to work on 18th June and build towards the Bank of Ireland Nations Series and to France beyond that."

In addition to the three Bank of Ireland Nations Series matches, the Ireland squad will travel to Portugal for a warm-weather training camp in August, before Farrell's final 33-player Rugby World Cup squad is announced in late August.

Ireland open their Rugby World Cup campaign against Romania in Bordeaux on 9th September, before further Pool B clashes against Tonga (16th September) in Nantes, and South Africa (23rd September) and Scotland (7th October) at the Stade de France in Paris.

Forwards (22)

Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University)Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers)Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne)Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere)Gavin Coombes (Munster/Young Munster)Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary's College)Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf)Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf)Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy)Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch)Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne)Dave Kilcoyne (Munster/UL Bohemians)Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Dublin University)Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution)Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch)Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD)Cian Prendergast (Connacht/Corinthians)James Ryan (Leinster/UCD)Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne)Tom Stewart (Ulster/Ballynahinch)*Kieran Treadwell (Ulster/Ballymena)Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD)

Backs (20)

Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians)Caolin Blade (Connacht/Galwegians)Ross Byrne (Leinster/UCD)Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon)Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution)Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster)Ciaran Frawley (Leinster/UCD)*Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)Mack Hansen (Connacht/Corinthians)Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers)Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD)James Lowe (Leinster)Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor)Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen)Calvin Nash (Munster/Young Munster)*Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster/Naas)Jamie Osborne (Leinster/Naas)*Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD)Jonathan Sexton (Leinster/St Mary's College)Jacob Stockdale (Ulster/Lurgan)

*denotes uncapped player

Pool B:

Images & Content from Irish Rugby & Images © Inpho Photography

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In another historic moment for Irish Rugby, the Ireland Women's Sevens squad, sponsored by TritonLake, have today realised their Olympic dream by securing the fourth and final automatic qualification berth through the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

The team captained by Lucy Mulhall defeated Fiji 10-5 at the France Sevens in Toulouse on Sunday morning to ensure they will finish in fifth position in the overall 2023 Women's World Series standings, and join Australia, New Zealand, USA and hosts France as the fifth team to book their place at next summer's Games in Paris.

By creating history on a magical morning at Stade Ernest Wallon, Ireland Women registered another major moment for the National Sevens Programme, following on from the Ireland Men's qualification for Tokyo 2020, and the succession of World Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens podium finishes.

It is the culmination of years of hard work, the Ireland Women's Sevens squad first embarking on their quest for Olympic qualification back in 2015, and now following near misses for Rio and Tokyo, secure their golden ticket to sport's global showpiece next summer.

The Olympic Rugby Sevens competition runs from 24-30 July 2024 at the Stade de France in Paris.

IRFU Chief Executive Kevin Potts said: "On behalf of the IRFU and the wider Irish rugby community, I would like to offer my congratulations to the players, led by inspirational Captain, Lucy Mulhall, and management of the Ireland Women's Sevens team on their qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

"A huge amount of hard work has gone on behind the scenes for the last number of years to reach this historic milestone and it is testament to the dedication, talent and resilience of the players that they have qualified for the Olympics.

"Olympic Qualification was a stated aim for the IRFU in this cycle and I would like to pay tribute to all in our High-Performance Department, and everyone connected with the team for this seismic day, not just for rugby, but for Irish sport in general."

There was no shortage of drama on the final weekend of the 2023 Women's World Series as the race for Olympic qualification went down to the wire. Ireland, Fiji and Great Britain were all in the running to claim that final berth, but with all three teams falling at the quarter-final stage on Saturday and GB dropping out of the race, it meant Ireland and Fiji went head-to-head in a Paris 2024 shoot-out on Sunday morning.

Not only do Ireland Women qualify for the Olympics for the first time but they become the first Irish Rugby team to do so automatically through the World Series, with Temple Jones’ side producing strong performances in Dubai, Cape Town, Hamilton and Sydney earlier in the season to put themselves in a good position heading into the final weekend in Toulouse.

Pool wins over the hosts and Brazil ensured a passage through to the quarter-finals in the south of France and although Australia proved too strong in the last eight, Ireland rallied and produced when it mattered most to achieve their ultimate ambition and a place at Paris 2024.

Images & Content from Irish Rugby & Images © Inpho Photography

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IRFU Chief Executive Kevin Potts spoke to media today as part of the announcement of the new WNTS Pathway Staff and Women In Rugby overview and gave the following remarks:

"I would like to start by acknowledging the tremendous efforts of Nichola Fryday and the Ireland team in the Women's Six Nations Campaign. The players put everything they had into representing their country, and Irish Rugby could not have asked any more of them. While this was not their time, we are confident that their time will come.

"The IRFU accepts responsibility for the challenges in Irish women's rugby, and will, as a matter of good practice, continually assess and re-assess how we can improve.

As I have said before, we are on a journey, and while there may be setbacks along the way, our commitment to the women's game, and, to women in our game- is unwavering.

Since the publication of the Women In Rugby Report last December, there has been positive progress on both fronts, but there is still much work to do. All recommendations have been or are being implemented, For example

This is just a sample of initiatives underway to maximise performance, access, and participation in the game, and to modernise our governance.

IRFU Women In Rugby Press Briefing, IRFU High Performance Centre, Dublin 10/5/2023 – Kevin Potts, IRFU Chief Executive – Mandatory Credit – ©INPHO/Bryan Keane

Together with the outputs from ongoing consultation across the game, all recommendations will feed into a new strategic plan for Rugby in Ireland, to be published later this year, which will concentrate on future proofing the game.

Contrary to some commentary, the IRFU's stewardship of the women's game is in good hands, comprised of women and men elected from clubs and provinces , ALL of whom care deeply for the game and player well-being at all levels. It also includes 240 , committed staff from 15 nationalities, 35% of whom are Women.

In building rugby long-term, we know it is important to include a cross-section of voices, from diverse backgrounds, education, and perspectives from within and outside the game.

As CEO, I am personally committed – as are my leadership team and the Union Committee -to doing everything in our power to ensure that Irish rugby is as high-performing and inclusive as possible .

We understand that discrimination is an issue for every sport and every business. But unconscious bias and all instances of exclusion are unacceptable, no matter what form they take. The IRFU ‘Women in Rugby’ report, published at the end of 2022, in Chapter 1, Page 1 identified this issue, and set out plans to tackle it. We have been acting on this report since its publication and are determined to ensure as safe, inclusive, and welcoming an environment as possible, in all levels of our game.

When I consider the commitment of volunteers and professional staff to the women's game, together with increased financial resources and the unwavering support of Irish fans, I see much cause for realistic optimism;

Of course, our National Women's XVs team is the focal point for many, but beneath that there are green shoots in participation and pathways. For example:

Have we delivered everything we wanted to? No, we have much more to do, and we would like to fast-track that journey as much as possible, especially now that Covid 19 is well behind us; but progress is being made.

The IRFU also wants to sustain the confidence of our players on this journey. The prize is enormous and will be worth the effort.

I am confident that through effective leadership; collaborative partnerships; and building improved structures, processes, and pathways; more women and girls will have the opportunity; interest; and support to play rugby in Ireland to the best of their ability. This will in turn lead to increasing numbers of girls playing in schools, clubs and colleges and having the opportunity to represent Ireland on the world stage .

In closing, let me reiterate our commitment not just to our players and all in our women's game, but to being available to you the media, to address your queries on all aspects of the game. We appreciate your interest and the opportunity, as the sport's governing body in Ireland, to put forward the IRFU's position on matters critical to our game.

And finally, I would like to wish the Ireland Women's Sevens team the very best of luck in Toulouse this weekend as they bid to qualify directly for the 2024 Olympic Games. Now that is something we all want to see."

Images & Content from Irish Rugby & Images © Inpho Photography

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