A special edition version of the Gilbert Match XV ball with a bespoke Guinness PRO14 Finals tartan trim design and additional gold panels will be used to mark the historic occasion of the Guinness PRO14 Final at Celtic Park on Saturday, May 25. Emerging from the Semi Finals, Glasgow Warriors and Leinster will do battle in this famous venue as the Championship decider is held outside of rugby-specific stadia for the first time ever. The 2018 Guinness PRO14 Final at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin saw a new record attendance set for the third year in a row. This season’s Championship decider returns to Scotland for the first time since 2016 when it was held at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield stadium. This new Gilbert ® Match XV Rugby Ball is the best rugby ball currently available for the elite game and is the Official Match Ball for the showpiece event. That same ball with a midnight black design has been used throughout the 2018⁄19 PRO14 campaign which has seen a record 880 tries scored, meaning an average of six tries per game! The quality of this ball is encapsulated by the incredible margin of difference between the top kickers in the competition so far this year. Jaco van der Walt of Edinburgh (winner), Joey Carbery of Munster, Adam Hastings of Glasgow Warriors and Cardiff Blues’ Garth Anscombe only had 1.59% difference between their kicking accuracy in first to fourth in the Gilbert Golden Boot statistics (minimum requirement at least 30 place kicks at goal from across the season.) The new ball is clearly designed specifically for elite level sport with a Copolymer ‘Air loc’ bladder – for improved air retention and enhanced energy transfer. The Multi Matrix 3D grip with star shape and dual height pimples maximises hand contact with the ball and provides ultimate passing and catching control, whilst maintaining kicking distance and accuracy. Fit to perform suitably in all conditions. The unique and Gilbert patented Ellipse Truflight valve shape redistributes weight along the seams of the ball, to improve rotational stability, resulting in greater accuracy. The use of high-quality internal laminates ensures optimal energy transfer between boot and ball to improve strike consistency. The hand-stitched ball also has a G-XV rubber compound surface and is immediately ready for match play from the first kick.
