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New Zealand Rugby and Adidas have unveiled two new jerseys for the All Blacks and the Black Ferns.
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The All Blacks will wear their jersey for the first time this weekend when they host the Wallabies in the first Bledisloe Cup test at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday.
The Black Ferns, meanwhile, will wear their jersey for the first time when they take on Australia at Rugby Park in Christchurch on September 26.
For the first time in their 30-year history, the Black Ferns have their own dedicated jersey that is specifically tailored to accomodate the demands of the women’s game.
Over the last two years, Black Ferns players took part in innovative body-mapping sessions, material testing and also gave feedback on what they wanted in a jersey.
The players said presenting themselves as women on the field was equally important as presenting themselves as the fierce, rugby athletes they are.
The result of these insights is a bespoke jersey that supports this desire in the form of a sleek, athletic and feminine silhouette.
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Black Ferns senior player Les Elder said the team having its own jersey was significant for the women’s game in New Zealand.
“It’s hard to put into words what this moment means to our team. I’m excited to be part of the journey towards elevating the women’s game and seeing our sport get the recognition it deserves,” she said.
“This jersey is designed to inspire the future of our game and we cannot wait to wear it on the field and motivate the next generation of girls and women in New Zealand to pick up a rugby ball and chase their dreams.”
All Blacks players also gave feedback on their jersey design, and Adidas has equipped them with an innovation-fuelled jersey which provides them with superior strength and fit as they play.
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A new collar design sees the return of a primarily black collar with white detailing and the classic Mandarin collar design, while the new modernised cuff construction is designed to improve comfort and shaping around the bicep.
Former British & Irish Lions coach Graham Henry on how they must play to beat Springboks. pic.twitter.com/vwOqmi8hOo
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The match jersey is also 35 percent lighter than previous designs, providing an improved fit without compromising on strength, and is designed to react and stretch with the player as they move on the field.
All Blacks captain Sam Cane outlined the importance the All Blacks jersey holds within New Zealand upon the announcement of the new playing jersey.
“What we wear and what that represents is a huge part of our nation’s heritage. There is a responsibility that comes with wearing the All Blacks jersey and we take that responsibility seriously,” he said.
“The jersey is iconic for us, not only in the way it looks, but also in how it supports us when we’re playing on the field. That’s why we’re always keen to be involved in the development of any new jersey.
“We love working with the team at adidas to ensure each new design is refined to reflect the modern needs of the game, so we can make the iconic jersey even more special.”
The new All Blacks jersey, which is available in stores now, will set fans back $200 for the performance jersey and $150 for the replica version.
The new Black Ferns jersey, meanwhile, will go on sale on September 1.
– With New Zealand Rugby
Comments on RugbyPass
What a dagg in more ways than one
5 Go to commentsRegroup come back next year but sack some of the coaching team and don't be like the ABs last minute sacking. If Crusaders don't do well ABs don't do well.
5 Go to commentsProctor Definitely inform again this year had a hell of a season last year and this year is looking even better. Still mixed feelings about Ioane tho.
4 Go to commentsDagg is still trying to get enough headlines to make himself relevant enough to get a job. The Crusaders went back to square one at all levels. Shelve this season and nail the next one.
5 Go to commentsHe was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
5 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
3 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
4 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
38 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to comments