Super Rugby is just more than a week away and most if not all Super Rugby Franchises have instructed their Kit Sponsors to come up with new designs for the 2015 Season.

All the Franchises are sponsored by BIG Kit sponsors.

Of the Australian Franchises the Brumbies are sponsored by CLASSIC, whereas the Western Force, Melbourne Rebels and Reds are sponsored by BLK, and the Waratahs are sponsored by CANTERBURY.

In New Zealand all 5 Super Rugby Franchises are sponsored by ADIDAS.

In South Africa, there is a mix of sponsors, with both the Vodacom Bulls and Toyota Cheetahs are sponsored by PUMA, whereas the rest all have their own sponsors. The Emirates Lions are sponsored by CANTERBURY, The Cell C Sharks by BLK and the DHL Stormers are sponsored by ADIDAS.

For a change the Vodacom Bulls have moved away from a radical Pink or Cammo approach to a more traditional approach and it seems only the Chiefs and to a lesser extent the Blues have somewhat pictorial designs on their Home Kit.

But… the Kit is not what makes a team, so although you might like or dislike a particular Franchise’s Kit, the proof of the pudding still lies in how the teams perform on the field of play.

 

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Australian Conference:

 

Brumbies:

Primary: White and navy with gold saddle hoops.

Alternate: Gold with white saddle hoops, navy and silver trim.

Provider: Classic

 

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Western Force:

Primary: The 10th anniversary jersey is ocean blue featuring a black swan with gold trim and black panels under the arms. The lower back features each name of the 126 players that have represented the Force in Super Rugby since 2006.

Alternate: The 10th anniversary alternate jersey is predominantly white with the black swan across the front, Force blue trim and black panels under the arms. The lower back also features each name of the 126 players that have represented the club.

Provider: BLK

 

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Melbourne Rebels:

Primary: Traditional navy blue and white of Victoria with elements of red, symbolic of fire, battle and sacrifice for a common goal.  The five stars are those of the Southern Cross on the Victorian flag, reflecting the values and pledge of the Rebels and the land we represent.

Alternate: Stylised representation of the Rebels’ five stars in a chainmail pattern symbolising a suit of armour with navy blue hoops representing the traditional Victorian rugby jersey.

Provider: BLK

 

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Reds:

Primary: Red jersey, red shorts, red socks.

Alternate: White with red piping, white shorts, white socks.

Provider: BLK

 

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Waratahs:

Primary: Sky blue jersey with navy blue trim, navy blue shorts.

Alternate: Navy gradient into a silver design with navy sleeves, navy shorts.

Provider: Canterbury

 

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New Zealand Conference:

 

Blues:

Primary: Navy jersey with a powder blue emblem that reflects the Pacific and the Blues region, including the sea, frangipani, spears, nets and Rangitoto. Navy shorts with powder blue stripes and navy socks.

Alternate: White jersey with a grey emblem and maroon collar. White shorts with powder blue stripes and white socks.

Provider: adidas

The Blues region boasts the largest Polynesian population, stunning landmarks and features that are immediately recognisable, such as volcanoes and sparkling waters.

The Blues wanted to acknowledge the connection between their people and their surroundings and worked with adidas and regional leaders to incorporate emblems that reflect the Pacific and the Blues region, including the sea, sky, frangipani, spears, nets and iconic Rangitoto.

 

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Chiefs:

Primary: Black jersey with yellow stripes on the sleeve and across the shoulder blades.  The side of the jersey features flowing yellow kowhaiwhai patterns and the red background is the ‘Ara Poutama’ design.  The embossed defining design is the Kotiate (Black hand held club).  The shorts are black with yellow stripes and the black socks have red tops with yellow stripes.

Alternate: White jersey with yellow stripes on the sleeve and across the shoulder blades.  The side of the jersey features a reverse pattern of the home strip in red, yellow and white with the Kotiate embossed in white.  The shorts are white with yellow stripes and the white socks have red tops with yellow stripes.

Provider: adidas

The Chiefs took the development of their kit very seriously. The team met with renowned Maori designer and artist Dave Burke, and colleagues Luke Crawford and Wally Rifle, to create a jersey that truly embraced their pride, passion and empathy with the central North Island.

They worked closely with a group of Maori advisers, including the New Zealand Maori Rugby Board, to ensure the designs used are appropriate and meaningful.

The jersey design is centred on three main themes:

• Kotiate (central shape in black) are hand-held clubs used by chiefs in warfare;
• Awa (flowing yellow kowhaiwhai) are waterways which when combined into a single centralised flow become unstoppable;
• Ara Poutama (red background) is the stairway to success urging players toward continued development and growth.

 

 

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Crusaders:

Primary: Red jersey with chain mail armour pattern on front and black collar. Black shorts with three white stripes. Red socks with black top and three white stripes.

Alternate: Black jersey with chain mail armour pattern on front and black collar. Red shorts with three white stripes. Red socks with black top and three white stripes.

Provider: adidas

The Crusaders are a champion team with a proud tradition of taking on all-comers and winning. Adidas and the Crusaders worked closely together to further develop their distinctive medieval theme by incorporating chain mail armour into the design of their jersey. Their unrelenting competitive drive to remain one of the strongest Super Rugby sides is represented by wearing armour as they head into battle against their foes.

 

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Highlanders:

Primary: Blue jersey with black celtic knot bands and gold and maroon trim and blue and gold shorts.

Alternate: Green jersey with black celtic knot bands and a blue and white trim and blue and green shorts.

Provider: adidas

The Highlanders embrace their Celtic roots, drawing on the determination and courage of the early settlers. Working closely with the  design team,  players and management sought to express their passion and commitment to playing winning rugby in the south.

The eight Celtic hoops represent the districts that make up the team that’s all heart.  The Highlanders are unquestionably the ‘Pride of the South’ and this motto is captured in the collar, calling out the zeal and valour indicative of the team and its people.

 

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Hurricanes:

Primary: Sunshine yellow jersey with black collar, black shorts and black socks.

Alternate: Black jersey with yellow collar, black shorts and yellow socks.

Provider: adidas

The power and strength of the hurricane is captured in a vibrant yellow jersey – accented with black and blue, harking back to the original Super Rugby strip for the Hurricanes.

Each of the provinces that feed into the team are represented on the inside of the jersey collar – ensuring that the players are reminded of their roots and the role that rugby plays in maintaining pride in the region.

 

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SOUTH AFRICAN CONFERENCE:

 

Vodacom Bulls:

Primary: Dark blue fades from the collar into light blue on the sleeves and all the way to the bottom. A raging bull’s head with reflective silver eyes wraps around from the left front to the right back and fades from light blue at the horns to dark blue at the bottom. The shorts are dark blue.

Alternate: The base of the alternate strip is white. A raging bull’s head with reflective silver eyes wraps around from the left front to the right back and transitions from white at the horns to light blue at the bottom. The shorts are white.

Provider: Puma

 

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Toyota Cheetahs:

Primary: Orange jersey fading to white with a turquoise collar and purple trim. White shorts with orange socks and white trim.

Alternate: Turquoise jersey fading to white with an orange collar and purple trim. White shorts with turquoise socks and white trim.

Provider: Puma

 

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Emirates Lions:

Primary: Red jersey with white trim, black shorts and black socks.

Alternate: Navy blue jersey with white trim, black shorts and black socks.

Provider: Canterbury

 

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Cell C Sharks:

Primary: Black jersey and collar with white beading on the front. Black shorts with white beading and black socks with white trim.

Alternate: White jersey and collar with black beading on the front. White shorts with black beading and black socks with white trim.

Provider: BLK

 

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DHL Stormers:

Primary: Collegiate royal blue jersey with blue and white horizontal stripes on the front, red on collar with collegiate royal blue shorts and collegiate royal blue socks.

Alternate: White with a blue and red lightning bolt across chest, collegiate royal blue shorts and collegiate royal blue socks.

Provider: adidas