With the Rugby World Cup only a few weeks away (match one is Friday 9th September, New Zealand All Blacks vs Tonga) and the domestic seasons kicking off shortly after, there’s a load of new rugby shirts, jerseys & kit hitting the shelves over the next 4 or 5 weeks. I thought it would make sense to stick all the info into a blog post so you know exactly what’s happening and when.
I’ve broken it down into teams to make it easier for you to find your favourites quickly!
England Rugby
Nike are a brand who historically have had a lot of technology tied up in their rugby shirts and this season is no different. I can’t give away any secrets as to how the kit looks this year, suffice to say, it’s awesome.
Rugby World Cup and 2011-12 season collections both get an image and pre-sell launch on Monday 1st August with the sell-through launch a few days later on the 4th.
Scotland Rugby
The Scotland Rugby World Cup shirts were unveiled with an official event at Murrayfield on Tuesday 28th June. The following shirts are available to pre-order now:
- Rugby World Cup Test home & away shirts – the tight fitting shirts
- Rugby World Cup Pro home & away – the looser fitting shirts
- Rugby World Cup Ladies Classic home & away
The on-sale date for these is Friday 1st July 2011 [tomorrow as I write this], and you can check out the full collection on the rugbystore.co.uk website here.
They’ve gone in a ‘slightly different direction’ with the shirts this season and have sparked some mixed feelings. Let me know what you think about the new shirt design! You can read a blog post about the new technology in the Test shirts here.
Scotland have a new sponsor in the shape of RBS for the 2011-12 season. These are launched on Friday 5th August – we’ll bring you more info on these nearer the time.
Wales Rugby
You’ve got to love what Under Armour have done with the WRU kit the last few seasons. The kit has come on leaps and bounds with UA and these new shirts are bang up to date with new garment technology.
The unveiling and sales launch for both Wales RWC and season 2011-12 kit is tomorrow, Friday 1st July. I can’t say anything about it just yet but look out for a full update here tomorrow, or check out the Wales RWC section on the rugbystore site tomorrow morning to see what the kit looks like.
Ireland Rugby
Puma unveiled the Ireland 2011-12 season shirts on Wednesday 29th June with the following shirts:
- Authentic Home & Away – tight fitting
- Pro Home & Away – looser fit, available in adults, youths & kids
These are pre-order only at the minute; available to send out on Thursday 7th July.
We think Puma has done a cracking job with the Ireland range the last few years and this O2 sponsored collection is no exception. Check them out here.
The Ireland RWC range is unveiled and available to pre-order on Monday 1st August with the sell-through date set for Thursday 11th August.
New Zealand All Blacks
We’re getting very excited about the All Blacks kit launch… but I can’t really tell you very much about it at the minute!
Unveiling and launch date for both the RWC and 2011-12 season kit is Saturday 30th July (NZ time – Sunday 31st here in the UK), when the All Blacks play South Africa for their first game of the 2011 Tri Nations.
Rumour has it that there is a lot of new technology in this shirt and for the first time ever, the All Blacks will walk out onto the field wearing their Anthem Jacket over the playing shirt. adidas are being very secretive about this shirts; I guess we’ll all find out on the 31st!
South Africa Rugby
Both the Rugby World Cup and regular season South Africa Rugby shirts were unveiled and launched for sale on Tuesday 28th June. The test shirts feature the same technology as the Scotland Test shirts – read about the tech here. Here’s a run-down of the RWC shirts available now:
- Rugby World Cup Test Home & Away – tight fitting
- Rugby World Cup Pro Home & Away – looser fitting
- Rugby World Cup Classic Home & Away short sleeve – loose fitting, cotton shirts with a regular collar
- Rugby World Cup Classic Home & Away long sleeve – as above with long sleeves
Click here to see the full South Africa Rugby World Cup range. There’s been a bit of controversy around the SA RWC shirts – Springbok logo anyone? Feel free to comment!
Tuesday also saw the launch of the regular season South Africa shirts. Designs are same as the RWC shirts with the new sponsor for this year – Absa. There are some nice off-field pieces in the range this year plus, available for the first time, replica shorts. Check out the whole collection here.
France Rugby
The France Rugby World Cup shirts are unveiled and available to pre-order today, Thursday 30th June. Sell-through date is Monday 1st August and you can see the new shirt here on the RS site.
So there you have it. That covers the main International teams for both RWC and the regular 2011-12 season. Feel free to post your thoughts and feedback below.
