History of the rugby shirt

Players wear them with pride and fans wear them to show their camaraderie and commitment to their team. The rugby shirt, which can be traced back to the mid-1800s, symbolises one united team who are committed to serving their club and its loyal supporters.

We take a journey through the years and how the rugby shirt has evolved.

If rugby players of old could see the kit that modern players wear, they would probably be shocked at the changes that have taken place.

When men first got together with their odd shaped balls in the middle years of the 19th century, their chosen garb was a white button down shirt, matching white trousers, walking boots and, of course, a bow tie.

We begin our journey through rugby jersey history in the 1800’s, soon after rules governing the sport of rugby were created. During the early times of rugby, men would commonly play in the streets in working clothes and gear—a dangerous feat since no one knew who their teammates were when teams did not have a set number of players.

What it made up for in sartorial elegance, it lacked in practicality, and soon heavy woollen sweaters were adopted. Though an improvement, they were still far from ideal on a sports field, and it was not long before the woollen knitted tops evolved into heavy cotton ones.

When talking about jerseys and their history, most of the focus is usually around football. However, the evolution of rugby tops is even more fascinating than jerseys sported by rugby’s distant cousin.

In days of old, players wore loose fitting cotton shirts, buttoned at the neck and with collars. Shorts were loose and down to the knees, and boots were usually work boots or walking boots into which nails and metal plates were hammered to provide grip.

The origins of this glorious game can be traced back to 1823 where a young man called William Webb Ellis first ran with a ball at Rugby School. That was the moment that the game was invented and there was a need for some way to tell teams apart from one another.

So the rugby kit was born, also responding to the need for comfort and functionality. At this time, the Rugby School was the first known team to play in a kit or uniform, which consisted of long flannels, shirts and caps, which were made out of loose-fitting cotton – not the most practical of outfits.

Although this was the first official rugby kit, the loose fitting items were far too easy to grab on to, giving the defending side an advantage against the attack. This was the case until synthetic fibres were developed and became cheaper and more readily available.

However, as the sport has evolved, so has the shirt. By the 1950’s, the rugby shirt had become somewhat of a style statement. Their bold colours with contrasting collar proved popular both on and off the pitch.

Today, rugby is a faster, more competitive and more powerful sport, and the kits you see are scientifically designed with the modern game in mind. 2003 was a notable year for rugby for many reasons, one of which being the radical facelift of the shirt. It was tight fitting and made from a mixture of cotton and polyester, providing improved sweat removal and comfort.

Since 2003, many teams have adopted this style and over the past 11 years technology has advanced even further. Techniques such a dye-sublimation printing have allowed direct printing on to polyester or other synthetic fabrics, meaning that rugby shirts can be customised to teams’ needs, with as many logos or images as you wish. This process permanently dyes the fabric, meaning that the images do not peel or fade, and it can be washed without damaging the quality of the image.

Rugby shirts had to wait until almost the 21st century before they saw any significant change. Until then, the biggest design breakthrough was the introduction of rubber buttons.

As with boots, however, new designs, technology and materials led to a departure from the old styles. Designers realised that loose fitting shirts were easy for opponents to grab hold of, so they introduced a tighter fit without buttons or collars. Gone, too, were the long sleeves.

And cotton was replaced by a newer material called ‘polyester’, which was just as durable but was much lighter and had moisture wicking properties that kept players more comfortable. Further, new printing technologies, such as sublimation printing, allowed manufacturers to easily produce multi-coloured shirts and to change shirt design almost at a whim.

So now we see teams in highly colourful, intricately designed shirts that, in professional ranks at least, often change from season to season.

Fans around the world were shocked and intrigued with many new jersey designs and innovations over the last 10 years. One jersey design that had fans completely surprised was the “AdiThread” jersey worn by the All Blacks. The All Black jersey is naturally untouched in its design, but finer improvements have been made over the years.

And who could forget the debut of the Stade Francais kit with the Warhol inspired Blanche de Castille? Which soon turned a club into a brand empire with its designs and flash. Stade Francais made pink acceptable on the pitch. Amateur clubs can now order their kits in pink if they so wish, regardless of manufacturer.

As a new era dawns on the sport and its global growth is feuled by new and emerging markets dormant for so many years, rugby fashions will continue to inspire, evolve and redefine sporting and casual apparel.