New Zealand Super Rugby Pacific teams reveal 2022 jerseys
The five New Zealand Super Rugby franchises have unveiled their playing jerseys for the inaugural edition of Super Rugby Pacific in 2022.
Each of the Kiwi teams have released new home and away kits for the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, with each jersey holding meaning and importance to its respective side.
The Blues will sport a darker-toned home jersey as the Auckland-based franchise “pays homage to the great migrations that are an integral part of New Zealand’s history, made possible by the waters that surround the region”.
According to a statement released by the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman champions, they have done so by creating a feature in the centre of their home jersey that “represents the meeting point of the four tides – as it does at Cape Reinga in the Far North of Te Tai Tokerau (Northland)”, where the low and high tides of the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea converge.
The Blues’ away jersey, meanwhile, is symbolic of their championship-winning history from the late 1990s and early 2000s, with the diamonds across the shoulders a nod to their iconic 1997 Super 12 jersey.
Further south in Hamilton, and the Chiefs have maintained a distinctly Maori design heading into the new season with their home jersey called ‘Nga hihi o te ra – The Rays of the Sun’.
A statement by the franchise said that the jersey had incorporated the theme of the sun and sun rays to accentuate the franchise’s red and yellow colours on its black jersey.
The design of the korus on the top and bottom halves of the jersey portrays the intertwined connection between the provincial unions that make up the Chiefs region, the players, supporters, members, sponsors, clubs and family.
The Chiefs’ away jersey has the sam design on it, but with a different colour scheme, with the jersey’s primary colour being white, while the kowhaiwhai design is lit up with the colouring of a paua shell.
According to the franchise, the away jersey, named He Piringa Paua’, represents “loyalty and allegiance”.
In the capital, the Hurricanes have released a classic yellow home jersey which the Wellington-based franchise says is representative of the original Hurricanes jersey from the 1996 Super 12 campaign.
“Our jersey features a pattern inspired by our mighty winds, a source of our strength, reflecting both the traditional narrative from our region and our unstoppable momentum,” Hurricanes chief executive Avan Lee said in a statement.
“The blue stripes are a throwback to the Hurricanes very first Super Rugby jersey. The blue stripe on the original jersey is iconic, so we are really pleased to see its return with a new modern take.”
The side’s away jersey features the same design but in a black colour. Hurricanes have also released a brand-new training jersey, which is blue and green with Pasifika-inspired designs incorporated on the front of it.
The Crusaders, meanwhile, have taken a fresh approach to their playing jerseys, which features a mountain range design over the top of its traditional black-and-red colour scheme.
According to the Christchurch-based franchise, the six mountain peaks that feature on the jersey are representative of the six provincial unions within the Crusaders region.
The reigning Super Rugby Aotearoa champions also have the same design brandished on their away jersey, which is predominantly white with a black trim.
Down south, the Highlanders have welcomed the return of their maroon away strip for the first time in more than a decade after having replaced it with a bright green strip in 2011.
The away jersey is symbolic of the franchise’s two smallest provincial unions – Southland and North Otago – and features “a modernised tartan pattern” that is also present on the home and training jerseys.
The Dunedin-based franchise has maintained a traditional blue-and-gold colour scheme for their home jersey, although both playing strips will feature a new main sponsor in the form of SBS Bank, with the Speight’s logo relocating to the jersey’s collar.
However, the Speight’s remains the main sponsor for the Highladers’ training jersey, which has a much bolder colour contrast of navy blue and bright green.
Comments on RugbyPass
Sometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to comments