Considines agree rugby needs to grasp smaller ball

The Considine sisters, Ailish and Eimear, are joined together via a Zoom call.

Ailish is in Australia, Eimear closer to home in Dublin.

Separated by continents and codes, the pair are very much on the same page when it comes to the tools of their respective trades, namely the balls they catch and kick.

Rugby is lagging behind other major women's sport in its insistence on using a size 5 ball for the women's game.

The younger Considine, fresh from a second Australian Football League Women's title with Adelaide Crows, uses a size 4 to kick her goals.

In previous lives, as footballers for Clare, both played with a size 4.

Camogie and Women’s NBA are among the other sports that chose to eliminate the natural size disparity disadvantage between their players and their male counterparts.

Rugby, for some reason, has chosen not to go down that route.

World Rugby did trial a size 4.5 ball at elite level a few years ago but after feedback from participants and performance evaluation, it was not taken further.

Ireland finished their TikTok Women’s Six Nations campaign with 77 handling errors, while the set-piece, for the most part, did not function.

This edition of the tournament was the first full standalone version and there are now more eyes on the sport.

Between BBC1 TV and online streams, almost one million people watched the Grand Slam decider between France and England at the end of last month.

Coverage has improved, all of Ireland’s games were broadcast live on terrestrial television and some form of semi-pro or retainer contracts are on the cards for the Irish XVs, most of whom are amateurs.

Eimear, who won her 26th Ireland cap against England, is in favour of coming in line with the other sports.

"I actually don't know the reasons why