SA Rugby unveiled Rhino as its new match ball partner, with the world’s leading rugby training equipment supplier coming on board after signing a seven-year partnership to provide match balls at international level for the Springbok men and women’s teams, as well as for all domestic competitions.
The deal will see Rhino’s elite-level match balls used for all home Tests for the Springboks, as well as all SA Rugby-run competitions, including the Carling Currie Cup, the oldest provincial series in the world.
Rhino are one of the biggest names in rugby, having supported the British & Irish Lions for the past four tours with contact and training equipment, three of which also saw them provide training balls.
In recent years, Rhino has established itself as one of the leading match ball brands, as the official match ball of Asia Rugby and Rugby Europe, accounting for over 80 rugby playing nations. Rhino balls have also been used at the highest level in club rugby across the world, previously being official match ball for the Pro12 (now Vodacom URC), Major League Rugby in the USA, and Superliga Americana de Rugby in South America.
The Rhino Vortex Pro is Rhino’s highest-spec rugby ball and will be used by the Springboks in all six their home Tests next year, including the Castle Lager Rugby Championship. Tested by clubs and universities, including at such famed British rugby institutions as Loughborough University, Hartbury University and University of Exeter, it was launched in 2024.
Rhino is the official training equipment partner for the British & Irish Lions, the Welsh Rugby Union, the French Rugby Federation, and scrum partner of England Rugby. In South Africa, Rhino is also training equipment supplier to both the Emirates Lions and the Hollywoodbets Sharks.
