Rugby Union Shirt
View PDF | Print View
by: Toby Beckett
Total views: 3
Word Count: 313
Rugby Union shirts were traditionally long sleeved jumpers with massive collars and little room for movement. They were designed to simply withstand the punishment they'd receive from tackles, pulls and any other kind of damage. Over time the Rugby Union shirt has developed into something far more complex and mult-ifunctional.
The first change that the Rugby shirt received was the addition of colours and designs. For a long period of time, the traditional Rugby shirt was just one colour. If you played for England it was white, Scotland was blue and Ireland was green. Every team had a plain coloured shirt and that was that. Slowly though, small patterns were emerging on the sleeves like stripes or blocks of different colour.
Sponsorship logos were the next big factor to be introduced to the Rugby shirt. Following on from football, teams were keen to cash in on their marketing potential and make some money out of their shirts. Despite the patterns, badges and other decorations the Rugby shirt still felt pretty much the same as it always had. It was only recently that attitudes began to change.
Manufacturers realised that they could help athletes by making the shirts from better materials that would not only allow them to move more freely but also minimise the amount of material the opposition could grab onto during a match. This was the introduction of the skin tight Rugby shirt. Once one team had shown the benefits of the advanced material, others were quick to follow. Now nearly every team at the highest level of Rugby has a lightweight, skin tight, breathable material for their shirt.
From it's simple beginnings as a cotton jumper, to the scientifically advanced works of art we now see the Rugby Union shirt has certainly come a long way. Who knows what they'll be running around in, in another fifteen or twenty years?
About the Author
Toby Beckett is a rugby stats guru who knows everything there is to know about the sport.
HTML For Publishers
Please note: This article is free to reprint but all links must remain active.
Rating: Not yet rated
