Wales Rugby Gift
Rugby Ball Light by Globall
The Rugby Ball Light is an exclusive rugby ball shaped lamp for an office, den or bedroom environment. An attractive gift for the rugby fan in your life. The light can be used anywhere inside the home; while reading or working, as a night light or a decorative highlight whether on or off.
It is a replica of the Gilbert Rugby Ball used by international rugby players. The 4-piece construction duplicates the structure of a size five rugby ball and reflects the ellipse trim colours and team logo.
The Wales Rugby Ball Light is an official licensed product of the WRU & Gilbert Rugby.
The Wales national rugby union team (Welsh: Tîm rygbi’r undeb cenedlaethol Cymru) was established in the same year, 1881, that Wales played their first international against England. Wales typically play in red jerseys, white shorts and red socks. For the 2015–16 season, the jersey design incorporated gold for the first time. The jerseys are embroidered with the WRU logo, three feathers held in a gold crown.
Wales has competed annually in the Six Nations Championship (in various incarnations) since it was established in 1883. They have won the tournament outright 27 times, most recently in 2019, which was also a Grand Slam. Since 2005, Wales has been the most successful team in the Six Nations, winning five Six Nations titles, more than any other team, including four Grand Slams, again more than any other side. Wales has also participated in every Rugby World Cup since 1987; they finished third in the inaugural tournament and have since made two semi-finals, in 2011 and 2019.
Wales hosted the first Women’s Rugby World Cup in Cardiff in 1991, and since then they have participated in a further four of the five tournaments finishing fourth in 1994, their highest ever finish. Wales Women are the only touring team from Wales to have won a Test series in South Africa, beating the Bokkies by two Test to nil back in 1994.
How we manufacture the perfect Wales Rugby Gift
Creating curved products is always a challenge, but for the Rugby Ball Light, it was vital to duplicate the size and shape of a professional ball in the final manufactured light. It was essential to maintain a premium feel to reflect the quality of the product and the pedigree of the brands it represents.
Designed to be simple, the components of the Rugby Ball Light are easy for the factory to assemble, lightweight, stable and straight forward to use. The light is a bespoke design (not just logos stuck on to an existing product) that creates an ambient light suitable for both office and home. It adheres to EU safety standards and uses the latest low energy bulbs, ensuring hours of low-cost, low-emissions use.
Where to use your perfect Wales Rugby Gift
Since time began, humans have craved their own space – a place to call their own. A room in which to relax, hide away from the world and ponder on the crucial questions.
Early man’s safe spaces were actual ‘caves’. Nowadays, we are all searching for the ultimate escape, an excellent excuse to create our personalised den.
If you’re a rugby fan, then a rugby themed space (or cave) can be the ultimate sporting escape: a place to unwind and embrace your inner sports fan. It’s also the perfect excuse to add ‘Wales Rugby Gifts’ to your wish list so that you can decorate your den with the most exciting rugby memorabilia, gifts and gizmos around.
Wales Rugby Gift lights up your home
The Rugby Ball Light is the perfect way to light up any man cave, or she-shed. Its iconic design will make it the focus of any den and is the ultimate gift idea for rugby fans, young or old. A replica of the Gilbert Rugby ball used by rugby players the world over, the lamp is available in Wales colours with English, Scottish, South African and Australian version coming soon. It has been designed specifically as the ultimate Wales rugby gift and is guaranteed to put a massive smile on the face of any rugby fan all year round.
Whether you use your Rugby Ball Light to add a warm glow to your den while watching the big game with your mates, use it as a desk light for reading match reports, or put it in pride of place as a focal point, the Rugby Ball Light is the perfect gift for any fan who feels passionately about the sport.
The Perfect Rugby Gift
Steve Hicks The Designer Talks About The Perfect Wales Rugby Gift
No, I don’t play anymore. Even at school I only played a little 7s. I was the wrong shape for rugby: a real matchstick man. I am massive fan of the game. I watched every game of last year’s World Cup and never miss a 6 nations match whoever’s playing. We are really lucky that the office is virtually in the shadow of Twickenham and the Stoop so we have live rugby available whenever we need a fix.
A few years ago we were asked to create a table centre for hospitality areas at Twickenham. We came up with the idea of the Light. Originally it was much plainer and powered by a battery. After a couple of events the client came back to us and asked us to manufacture more lights as some had been taken by guests as souvenirs. It was then we realised that the Light would have legs as a retail product.
The design element was pretty similar to my previous work. After taking a brief, in this case from myself, I do a lot of research. Then a lot of sketching, much of which is tossed into the waste paper basket. Finally, I produced a concept illustration and fabrication drawings. In this case there was a huge learning for me in fabrication techniques and materials but I had some great advice.
I worked with a specialist injection moulding business down on the south coast. They helped me develop the design for tooling. Having decided to use the Gilbert styling to create an authentic looking ball, adding the coloured trademark ellipses proved difficult. Eventually we settled on the 8-part construction method, allowing us to use a coloured material rather than an application.Â
We worked hard on the precise tooling required to create the radius edge between the sections. I insisted that this feature was vital to give the Light an authentic appearance. The factory and UK agent have been great too; streamlining the design for mass production and in ensuring the Light is compliant with all the legislation. Gilbert and the RFU have been a great help unlocking the world of brand licensing. The RFU light is official licensed merchandise of both brands.
We have plans for complementary products but we’ll keep those close to our chest for the time being. In the short term we hope to continue to work with Gilbert and expand our range to include more teams.
At the moment we’re focused in on developing the England rugby light. We’d like to partner with any teams; home nations, other international teams, and clubs, both professional and amateur, perhaps even sponsors too.
It’s been great learning new skills, working with different specialists, visiting factories. The geek in me loves heavy machinery, and challenging myself. It’s been a little frustrating getting used to the long lead times in the manufacturing process compared to my event work. It’s been great talking to and getting feedback from professionals, local clubs and potential customers. I’ve really enjoyed it all. I have one of the prototypes on my desk. I hope our customers enjoy the Light as much as I do.