NZ Super Rugby teams reveal new jerseys

JERSEY LAUNCH: New Zealand's five Super Rugby franchises have revealed their new jerseys for next year's inaugural Super Rugby Pacific competition.

On their website, the Blues said they have "produced a mix of their heritage and today with their playing strips for the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific playing jerseys".

They added: "The feature that runs through the centre of the home jersey represents the meeting point of the four tides – as it does at Cape Reinga in the Far North of Te Tai Tokerau [Northland]. This is where the high and low tides of Te Moana nui a Kiwa [Pacific Ocean] and Te Tai o Rēhua (Tasman Sea) converge."

The Blues' away jersey pays tribute to their teams in the past.

Meanwhile, the Crusaders say 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.

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 same 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 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.

Additional source: Sam Smith, @RugbyPass