With broadcast and companies continuing the innovate, the Wallabies created history against England on Saturday, becoming the first Test to use the Gilbert Rugby x Sportable Smart Ball.
It continues the growth of knowledge and information surrounding the sport in a data-rich period for sport.
Don't miss out! Purchase your tickets for the Wallabies' three-Test series against England
“The game-changing insights delivered for the England Australia series are the culmination of six months of hard work between Rugby Australia, England Rugby, Rugby Union Players' Association (RUPA), Stan. and Nine," Sportable Founder and CEO, Dugald Macdonald said.
"Rugby Australia were first to embrace the Smart Ball in Super Rugby Pacific this year and as a result these tests will feature world-first game insights and graphics. It’s another big step towards providing rugby fans, new and old, with insights that will make the game more exciting and easier to understand.
"The world-first ‘Smart Rugby Ball’ was developed by Sportable and Gilbert and the use of the Smart Rugby Ball in a test match for the first time is yet another milestone for Gilbert."
The partnership was formed during Super Rugby Pacific, used across every Australian home game to calculate live match stats such as kick hang time, distance and passing accuracy and speed, which are then presented as meaningful insights to break down key parts of the game.
Take the Wallabies and Pete Samu's game-sealing try as an example.
The rich data formed from the partnership captured Jake Gordon's looping pass to Marika Koroibete at 19.6 metres, the highest for the game, thrown at the speed of 41.3 km/h and a spin rate of 7.6rps.
This captures how the hosts were so capable of breaking down the visitors' defence late in the game as they charged towards the goal-line.
Gordon would then throw an 11.3 metre pass to Samu at 37.8 km/h to put the backrower over the line, securing the victory.
The data also showed a significant difference in clearance between the two sides.
The hosts had the five longest kicks in the match, with traditionally run-first duo Samu Kerevi and Jordan Petaia dominating the longest kick charts.
Sportable spokespeople confirmed the longest kick record by an English player in open field was just 34.6 metres, nearly 25 shorter than Petaia's effort in the 27th minute.
“Having built a strong foundation through our recent collaboration in Super Rugby matches, the introduction of the Smart Ball into Test Match rugby represents a real step-change in our use of technology to better understand and explain the game," RA CEO Andy Marinos added before the series.
"Through bringing these real-time statistics and insights to our broadcasts, on-screens in stadium and across social media channels for the duration of the 3-match series, we continue to bring our fans closer to the action.
"This is another innovative step for Rugby Australia, delivering insights to our stakeholders which they have never experienced before.”
