Say goodbye to the old Lansdowne Road.Richard Lindon (1816 - 1887) and William Gilbert (1799-1877) started making balls for Rugby school out of hand stitched, four-panel, leather casings and pigs’ bladders. Both men owned boot and shoe making businesses located close to Rugby school. Originally, Gilbert's business was located at 19 High Street and Lindon lived next door as a young man at number 20 . The High street led directly to Rugby schools quad entrance which is where the boys played football (quad ball) before Rugby school gained its playing fields.
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19 High Street |
20 High street |
In 1842 William Gilbert moved his shop from 19 High Street in Rugby to 5 St. Matthews Street which was directly opposite Rugby Schools playing field, known as "The Close".
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Gilbert Rugby Football Museum. 5 St. Matthews Street, Rugby. |
Lindon's shop was in 6 Lawrence Sheriff Street and was directly opposite the Quad Entrance. Read more about Lindon and Quad rugger here
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R Lindon's shop, 6 Lawrence Sheriff Street, Rugby. (Oct 2006).
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They turned their skills to the making of balls for the boys of Rugby school and by the 1850's William Gilbert and Richard Lindon, were the two main suppliers of the pig's bladder & leather clad balls to the boys of Rugby School.
In fact it is the shape of the pigs bladder which is reputed to have given the rugby ball it's distinctive oval shape although balls of those days were more plum shape than oval. The balls also varied in size in the beginning depending upon how large the pig’s bladder was.
In those early days it was necessary to ask for volunteers to inflate the ball for it was not a job that was sought after. The pigs bladder would be blown up while still in its very smelly ‘green state’ solely by lung power down the snapped stem of a clay pipe which was inserted into the opening of the bladder.
There is no record as to when the ball became less round and more oval in shape but there is a reference in Tom Brown's school days by Thomas Hughes, an old boy from Rugby school, i.e. "the new ball you may see lie there, quite by itself, in the middle, pointing towards the school goal" which indicates that the ball had become more oval by 1835 when the game was supposed to have taken place.
The size and shape of the ball was not written into the rules until 1892:
- Length 11 to 11 1/4 inches
- Circumference (end on) 30 to 31 inches
- Circumference (in width) 25 1/2 to 26 inches
- Weight: 12 to 13 ounces
- Hand sewn with not less than 8 stitches to the inchThe weight was reduced to 13 to 14 1/2 ounces in 1893.
The width of the ball was reduced to 24 to 25 1/2 inches and the weight was increased to 13 1/2 to 15 ounces in 1931.
2004 IRB Law 2 states:
The ball must be oval and made of four panels.
Length in line 280 - 300 millimeters
Circumference (end to end) 740 - 770 millimeters
Circumference (in width) 580 - 620 millimeters
Material: Leather or suitable synthetic material. It may be treated to make it water resistant and easier to grip.
Weight: 410 - 460 grams
Air pressure at start of play: 65.71-68.75 kilopascals, or 0.67-0.70 kilograms per square centimeter, or 9.5-10.0 lbs per square inch.
Richard Lindon's wife (who used to blow up the bladder based rugby balls for her husband) contracted a lung disease thought to have come from years of blowing up pig's bladders (some of which were most probably diseased) and died.
In the 1850s vulcanised rubber was invented by an American, Charles Goodyear and separately by Thomas Hancock in the UK in 1843/4.
Around 1862 Richard Lindon introduced Indian rubber bladder inner-tubes and because of the pliability of rubber the shape of the balls gradually changed from a sphere to the shape we know today. Richard Lindon, having observed the ordinary ear syringe also invented the Brass Hand Pump as rubber bladders were far too difficult to inflate by mouth, which he demonstrated, and won medals, at an exhibition in London. Richard Lindon also claimed to invent the rugby ball and its distinctive oval shape but sadly, for him, didn't patent either the ball, the bladder or the pump. By the 1880s there were several manufacturers of 'footballs' in England all using the same process.
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Richard Lindon's 1875 brass hand pump (above right) and the later invention of the foot pump (above left) used until the 1930s |
Messrs. Charles Macintosh & Co. were the first manufacturer to supply rubber bladders in sufficient quantities to make standardization possible. Charles Macintosh (1766-1843) is known internationally as the inventor of the (almost) eponymous mackintosh raincoat which he developed between 1823 and his death in 1843. Chas. Macintosh & Co. was formed by the merger of Charles Macintosh and Thomas Hancock's businesses in 1831. Chas. Mackintosh & Co. (with its name unchanged) continued until 1923 when it was taken over by Dunlop. Production on the Manchester site only ceased in 2000 although the original factory was destroyed in 1940. The present factory is now the centre of a regeneration programme for the ‘Southern Gateway’ to Manchester.
''Gilbert' became one of the most popular makers of rugby balls and has been making rugby balls since the game's conception. William Gilbert had a boot and shoe makers shop next to Rugby school in the high street and started making balls for the school out of hand stitched, four panel, leather casings and real pigs bladders (he also made catapults for the boys).
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Harrow School Pupil Circa 1935 Credit Getty Images |
William was responsible for the leather stand made for the London Exhibition in 1851 which can be seen in the present Gilbert museum. The ball is hanging from the cross bar of a Rugby goal in a stand designed by Mr M H Bloxham.
When William died, his nephew James Gilbert (1831-1906) succeeded him. James was reputed to be "..a wonder of lung strength and blew even the big match balls up tight". This was achieved by inserting a clay pipe into the neck of the bladder once it was encased in leather and blowing until the fully inflated.
In 1906 on the death of James, his son James John Gilbert (1856-1917) took over the family business. As well as his involvement in manufacturing the balls, James John was also an enthusiastic player for the Rugby Club and a keen follower of the game in general.
The last Gilbert involved in the company, James, was serving in the army in France when his father died in 1917. After the war he returned to run the firm being the fourth generation of his family to be involved in the business. James Gilbert was meticulous in everything he did, from keeping accounts, to ensuring that every Gilbert ball retained the companies reputation for excellence. He wrote countless letters to keep the Gilbert name at the forefront of the game and it was largely through his efforts that the Gilbert ball was exported to the major Rugby playing countries of the world particularly New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. He checked and stamped every Match ball personally to make sure it was of the highest quality.
By now, each nation had its own preferences with Australia and New Zealand favouring the pointed (Torpedo) shape and South Africa the 8-panel which offered better grip. In Britain, Ireland and France, most balls were now of 4-panel construction but 6 panels were still in use. Player pressure resulted in the balls being reduced in size by one inch by GILBERT, which subsequently lead to a change in rules in 1932.
In 1946 GILBERT formed a joint venture with the Glasgow based soccer ball brand Tomlinson’s who were responsible for much of the distribution and the marketing of the brand until the 1970s. The GILBERT Match remained the ball of choice for the majority of major matches during this time, but with the advent of new materials and brands challenging GILBERT’s traditional leather business, the brand experienced difficult times and the Gilbert family decided to sell the business in 1978.
The items James Gilbert collected from his contacts in the game form the basis for the Gilbert museum established in 1987. Since those early days the Gilbert ball has been used by almost every rugby nation and at all levels of the game.
GILBERT passed through the control of 3 different owners through the 1980s and 1990s, during which time they embraced and perfected the use of new synthetic technologies in its new Barbarian match ball.
GILBERT have developed a new ball for each Rugby World Cup since 1995 when it was adopted as the Official Ball in South Africa (also in 1999), however, more financial difficulties in 2002 led to the acquisition of GILBERT by Grays of Cambridge, another family business of long standing (founded by Harry Gray 1855) and, by a quirk of fate, the brand returned to its birthplace at 19, High Street in Rugby, where Grays were operating a sports shop. Although Gilbert is no longer an independent company, the name is being maintained by Grays as a strong 'traditional' brand, under Grays stewardship GILBERT’s technical heritage can continue.
The Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2003 once again showcased the latest in GILBERT’s ball development programme, the Xact match ball. As a result of the ball’s performance in the lead up to this tournament both New Zealand All Blacks and The British and Irish Lions switched their allegiance to GILBERT’s balls joining South Africa, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France and a host of other nations, clubs and tournaments around the world.
The Xact technology was enhanced further for the 2005 World Cup Sevens in Hong Kong with a patented star-shaped grip pattern – the first ever departure from round pimples and the 2007 edition is to be used at the RWC in France. The patented surface technology on the new synergie match ball is unique to GILBERT and has arisen by combining the existing pimple patterns of the Xact and Xact-7 match balls and the application of basic aerodynamic principles.
The GILBERT synergie ball was usde at the 2007 Rugby World Cup and received the thumbs up from players and administrators alike.
The ball was specifically designed to deliver the same kicking performance as the Xact ball used in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, while offering improved handling. Data commissioned from a leading independent sports statistics provider proves that this objective has been achieved in the tournament to date, with kicking success on a par with 2003 and superb handling and improved offloading from the tackle much in evidence.
Although no official complaint had been made by any of the participating teams, RWC Limited requested that GILBERT investigate some comments received from New Zealand questioning the quality of the balls used in practice.
Extensive research, comprising laboratory and on-field tests, discussion with players and administrators and a thorough analysis of logistics has enabled the ball manufacturer to prove without reservation that there is no difference between any of the balls used throughout the tournament nor with the GILBERT synergie balls widely used in international matches since October 2006. It has been concluded that any perceived differences reported can be explained by incorrect inflation and natural wear and tear, and this has been explained to the teams.
Chairman of Rugby World Cup, Dr Syd Miller, stated “I commend GILBERT on their rapid response to our questions and the thoroughness of their research, which has left no stone unturned. This proves conclusively that the decision to select GILBERT, and more particularly the synergie ball, for RWC 2007 was the correct one.
“GILBERT have been making balls since the game was first invented and have now supplied balls for four successive World Cups. They know what they are doing”.
GILBERT Sales & Marketing Director, Richard Gray, commented, “We were taken aback by the comments made and the subsequent damaging media coverage - which had no basis whatsoever. Of course it is sometimes more difficult to adapt to a ball if you have been used to a different product and this perhaps explains the contrast between a few comments from some quarters and the actual kicking performances overall throughout the tournament.
“We are delighted but not surprised that RWC Limited have accepted our findings without reservation and have once again given their stamp of approval to our products.”
Credits:
Gilbert information modified from original text provided by Gilbert over the years.
Lindon information sourced from http://www.richardlindon.com
Press article for rugby world cup 2007 re. Gilbert balls.
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