The technology will be able to provide live insights into the fixtures with real-time data and analysis to viewers across broadcast and social media coverage.

New data points captured by the ball monitor a plethora of different statistics, including territory gain, kicking accuracy, scrum weight split, and individual player performances.

The development to use the ball has been driven by the Six Nations' official insights partner Sage.

It was also used in the most recent Autumn Nations Series.

"As official insights partner, our focus throughout this partnership has been to bring better insights and data to the game and its fans," said Sage's chief marketing officer Cath Keers.

"It has been great to see this come to life with the smart ball data during the recent Autumn Nations Series.

"We are committed to enhancing the fan experience and our partnership with TikTok will allow us to do that - by making data and insights more human and accessible."

The 455-gram Smart Ball relies on a web of beacons around the pitch which track the position of the ball 20 times per second.

Each ball is charged for 30 minutes which gives it enough battery to last for the whole day.

The cost of the ball has not been revealed.

World Rugby plans to trial them at the World Under-20 Championship in 2023 to aid match referee decision-making.

"The ball relays back information [to the beacons] about its position, its spin state, the acceleration its undergoing," said Sportable chief technology officer Peter Husemeyer.

"We're able to piece all of that information back together at millisecond latency to work out what's happening in the game."

The Six Nations claims that the Smart Ball "has the power to find the fine margins between the titans of the international game."