The Rugby World Cup’s biggest problem? Slippery balls

The late summer heatwave in France has dialled up the humidity and made the official Gilbert match ball extremely difficult to handle in some matches during the opening rounds of the Rugby World Cup, with players explaining that the ball has at times resembled “a bar of soap”.

Late-night kick-offs have been cited as a factor, with the humidity increasing during the evenings and therefore increasing the amount of sweat and dew on the ball, particularly in the south of France.

George Ford,…