Biggar’s original kicking tee – which he has used since school – fell to pieces after 15 years of service and he could not find an adequate replacement.
In search of a new option, the British & Irish Lions star worked with some of Cardiff University’s brightest minds to craft an exact replica of the original tee using revolutionary 3D printing techniques.
It means Biggar has been able to carry on competing as normal.
“I’m not particularly sentimental, it’s more about routine, habit, and feeling familiar. Whenever I’ve used another tee, it’s never felt quite the same,” Biggar explained.
“My original tee treated me pretty well over the course of my career and it’s the same one I’ve had since the age of 14 or 15 with Gorseinon and Swansea school boys.
“Leigh Halfpenny would have been in that Gorseinon team. It was the same tee then and anyone who knows me knows I’m a creature of habit.
“The last thing I want to do is change tee and for me to have a bad psychological effect or anything like that. I could never quite find a replica like it once it was unusable, so fair play to the guys from Cardiff University.
“They’ve been absolutely brilliant and moulded a new one using 3D technology which is really impressive. It has the same marks and indentations. It’s the same material as well and I’m really, really grateful to them.
“It’s been brilliant and hopefully these can see me through to the end of my career. They’re making a few spares for me just in case I leave it on a plane or in a stadium somewhere.”
With more than 1,000 points to his name over the course of his Ospreys career, Biggar’s tee is of vital importance to him, as it is for all kickers.
It had been his loyal companion during his rise through the ranks and travelled around the world with him on Wales and Lions tours.
Biggar’s new tee was produced by Professor David Marshall, an expert in computer vision from Cardiff University’s School of Computer Science and Informatics, and Dr Peter Theobald, who specialises in the development of technologies to reduce injury and mortality and is based at the University’s School of Engineering.
Alongside a Cardiff University PhD student, David Williams, Professor Marshall used a 3D scanner to take multiple images of Biggar’s original tee from various angles.
Using computer software, the images were then cleaned up and stitched together to form a complete 3D computerised representation of the tee.
This image was then sent to Dr Theobald who, along with his PhD student Benjamin Hanna, was able to produce a replica of the tee using a 3D printer. The tee was made from a filament-based thermoplastic polyurethane material called ‘Ninjaflex’ and took over 40 hours to fully print.
The project came about through Professor Marshall’s existing involvement with Rhodri Bown, the WRU’s Head of Performance Analysis, who he works closely with on match video analysis software.
“It was over a coffee that Rhodri and I started brainstorming and came up with the idea of producing an identical replica of Dan’s tee using a combination of 3D scanning and printing at the University,” Professor Marshall said.
“As a massive fan of the Welsh rugby team, I was more than happy to run with the idea and see what was possible with the technology we had available.
“Dan has already been using the tee in competitive matches, so it’s nice to know I’ve contributed to the success of the team, in one way or another.”
Dr Theobald added: “Professional athletes can personalise their equipment over a number of years to suit their evolving techniques. Dan had done this with his kicking tee, though this meant he was then unable to get a spare.
“These new scanning and building technologies meant we were able to manufacture an exact replica.”
Biggar will move to pastures new next season when he links up with Northampton Saints in the summer and he hopes his new tee can be as effective as the last.
“I hope the new one can bring me some luck! I’ve got a couple of years left to dig in for,” Biggar said.
“I went down to training with Wales once and when I came back to my room in the hotel, I realised I had left the tee down there. I had the biggest panic ever!
“I wasn’t bothered about my wallet or iPad or keys which were gone, the most important thing was the tee which shows how important it is to me!”
Biggar continued: “I’ve had plenty of off days in my career, but at least when I do now, I’ll know I’ve got the same tee.
“If I’d had one with a different tee, maybe I’d have thought that was to blame or maybe I hadn’t worked as hard.
“I always look at myself first, but if I know the tee is exactly the same then the only person I can look at is myself.”
