British & Irish Lions: Official ball for Springbok series revealed – PICTURE

Gilbert Rugby, the world’s leading rugby ball manufacturer, has announced a new licensing partnership for the British & Irish Lions series.

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The new agreement sees Gilbert become the official match ball and licensee of the series, exclusively producing a range of balls in celebration of the series in South Africa, available for purchase through Gilbert’s unrivalled network of global distribution.

Gilbert, rugby’s original brand having been producing balls since the game started in 1823, have been a partner of SA Rugby for over 20 years, including the last two Lions Tours to South Africa, in 2009 and 1997.

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All matches will use the renowned Sirius match ball, as used successfully throughout the Springboks’ Rugby World Cup 2019 triumph, with a limited number of official match balls also available for rugby collectors to purchase from www.gilbertrugby.com.

Dating back to 1823, Gilbert has a unique heritage in rugby with William Gilbert supplying some of the very first rugby balls to Rugby School when William Webb Ellis first picked up the ball and ran with it.

Now, Gilbert’s Sirius match ball remains the preferred choice of most of the world’s leading nations. Gilbert has been the official ball at the Rugby World Cup for the last seven consecutive tournaments and the Gilbert ball will be used exclusively at Rugby World Cup 2022 in New Zealand and France 2023.

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“We are delighted to continue our long and successful relationship with the Lions Tours in South Africa and SA Rugby,” said Richard Gray, CEO – Commercial, Gilbert Rugby.

“We are excited to launch a unique collection including the official Lions Series match balls and a selection of licensed supporter product which will be available for supporters to purchase for the first time ever.”

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Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby, said: “Through hard work, dedication and being at the cutting edge of technology, Gilbert has earned its reputation as the global leader when it comes to rugby balls, and has been the preferred ball all over the world.

“Their products are created for performance, they are consistent and developed with leading edge technology and we are grateful to extend our partnership,” added Roux.

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