Kildunne downplays smaller-ball trial at WXV Global Series

England full-back Ellie Kildunne has played down concerns over World Rugby's trial of a smaller ball at the WXV Global Series, which begins on Saturday.

«We won a World Cup with a size five so it can’t have been that bad, Everyone is obviously going to have their opinion and when it came out that we were going to do it on an international stage, I was like: ‘Why would we do that?’».

The competition brings together the top 12 nations in the world rankings for home and away fixtures, in a revamped format with no trophy at stake. Players will use a size 4.5 ball rather than the size five used across rugby union. The new ball weighs the same but is 3% smaller, with World Rugby aiming to test whether the reduced size improves skillsets given women's physiology.

The trial follows positive feedback from earlier tests in youth competitions and the Sevens World Series, and will now be assessed at elite Test level for the first time. Players will report their views to the governing body once the tournament finishes at the end of October.

The change comes despite figures that show little issue with the existing ball: an 87.8% lineout success rate at the 2025 Women's Six Nations, and a 61% goal-kicking success rate at last year's World Cup.

Not every player has taken the change in stride. England fly-half Zoe Harrison called it the "worst decision ever" when the trial was announced. Wales hooker Kelsey Jones takes a more balanced view of the debate, and her side are among the nations that will report their findings on the ball to World Rugby once the series concludes in October.