BT Sport has teamed with sports manufacturer Gilbert, Premiership Rugby, and Sportable to trial a Smart Rugby Ball this Friday during the Falcons vs Tigers Premiership Rugby Cup match.

The ball contains a tech system to provide data that will benefit both players and TV viewers alike.

RFID chips inside the ball communicate with sensors dotted around the stadium. They feedback data 20 times per second which can be translated by Sportable's AI tools, resulting in instant information on different metrics, such as speed, distance and hang time.

The teams - Newcastle Falcons and Leicester Tigers - and their coaches will see the data in real-time, while BT Sport will also repackage it to present further coverage insights as part of its live broadcast.

"We are proud to further deepen our near decade-long relationship with Premiership Rugby by bringing our viewers even closer to rugby than ever before," said BT Sport's COO, Jamie Hindhaugh.

"We are continually looking to give our viewers more ways to watch, such as live action in stunning 4K UHD with HDR or via our App which is available on more devices than ever such as smart TVs and games consoles."

BT Sport to trial smart ball in Premiership Rugby Cup to give viewers extra stats photo 2

Former England outside-half, Paul Grayson, has been integral in the design and testing of the Smart Rugby Ball as an ambassador for Gilbert. It will be used in all 15 of the remaining matches in this season's Premiership Rugby Cup.