Rugby union has changed considerably since Ireland captain D.B. Walkington played an international match against Scotland wearing a monocle. Whilst the playing apparel of the nineteenth-century might seem a world away, modern rugby kits and cap-awarding traditions can be traced back to the sport's early origins. Like schoolchildren of today, boys at Rugby School wore sports kits, and it was these clothes that formed the basis of the first rugby outfits.
From The Vaults
21 February 2024
The Evolution of the Rugby Jersey
Colour
There has been much speculation about why the English chose white for their jerseys, the flag of St George being one of the more popular theories. But the truth is probably more prosaic. White was the default colour for jerseys worn during sporting activities at Rugby School, where sports were a key component of the curriculum. White was the choice of most public schools' sport kits as it was the most readily available and practical to clean by way of pot-boil washing. When the England selectors turned their attention to the colour of the jerseys, white would have been the colour that most players had worn at school and was therefore the colour chosen by default. The introduction of white cotton duck trousers in the 1830s coincided with the proliferation of this fabric's production in Lancashire textile mills.
[photo - 1871 England jersey]
Caps
By the 1830s, Rugby schoolboys had taken to wearing coloured caps in order to distinguish between the two teams. In 1846, the first formal resolution regarding match dress was introduced. This stipulated that one party should wear white and the other should wear stripes - thus replacing the original function of the caps, which presumably spent as much time in the dirt as on a player's head. After this time, the velvet caps became a mark of distinction, awarded to players by the Head of House to denote their participation in 'Big Side Matches'. Jerseys and caps were subsequently adorned with House symbols and Latin mottoes. By the mid-nineteenth century, pupils at Rugby School were kitted in outfits that would form the basis of those worn by the first international teams in 1871.
National Emblems
The tradition of adorning shirts with intricate symbolism was immediately taken up by national teams. England adopted the Lancashire rose, which had featured prominently in the Rugby School crest, and the Scottish jersey featured the national flower, the thistle. The crests found their homes on the left breast of the jersey, with only a few exceptions such as the Scottish team of 1876 and the French team of 1893, whose emblems appeared centrally on the front of the jersey. Initially, England players were asked to provide and sew on their own red roses, with only loose, informal instruction regarding design. The rose was not standardised until 1920.
Collars
England jerseys consistently featured button-up collars until 2003. However other sides during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries featured roll necks and lace-up collars. Modern international jerseys often do not include collars at all, on the basis that they are deemed more useful to the opposition when making a tackle. On the occasions that they do, they are often a fitted collar, but could also include buttons. One of the traditional distinctions between Rugby League jerseys and that of Rugby Union, were the V-shaped necks of League jerseys, which were introduced soon after the formation of the Northern Union in 1895, though the distinction has been less pronounced in recent years.
[photo - 1905 New Zealand jersey]
Numbering
Player identification on the rear of the jersey - by means of numbering or lettering - was first introduced in 1897 when New Zealand played Queensland. By the early-twentieth century, numbering or lettering was the norm for international matches around the world, but there remained a great deal of variation in format. The first differential was in the choice of either numbers or letters. In 1926 when King George V asked the Scottish Rugby Union Vice-President James Aikman Smith why the Scots were not using numbers, he reportedly replied: "This sir is a rugby match, not a cattle sale".
Even within the numbering system there were variations, with some teams numbered from front to back (with the full-back as number 15) and others from back to front (with the full-back as number 1). The International Rugby Board ruled, in 1967, that jerseys were to be numbered from front to back, ending variations at that level. It was not until the 1998-9 season that the Premiership standardised the rules at club level. Variations continue at non-professional level, with many clubs omitting numbers/letters altogether and several omitting the number 13 on the grounds of superstition.
Logos
By design, one of the most visible features of the modern rugby jersey is the sponsor's logo. The England team began its association with sponsors BT Cellnet in the 1996/7 season. This association has endured up to the present day under the company's current operating name, O2. Apart from the team emblem and sponsor's logo, the other regular feature is the manufacturer's mark, which now commonly features on the jersey, shorts and socks. Manufacturer marks became prominent after the advent of professionalism in 1995 but had already appeared on international jerseys prior to 1995, and on British and Irish Lions tracksuits since the early 1970s.
[photo - 2000 England jersey worn by Jason Leonard]
Fabric & Fit
Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the dominant jersey fabric was cotton and occasionally wool. It has been estimated that the cotton jersey retained up to 3kg of water when worn in wet conditions.
This problem persisted until the seventh year of Nike's association with the England kit, when they revealed a revolutionary kit design. Nike's 2003 England, France and South Africa jerseys included a host of revolutionary design features that were the result of a two-year consultation with players and coaches. The resulting concept jersey was in fact three jerseys, one design for the 'Tight 5' (Numbers 1-5), one for the Loose Forwards/Inside Backs (6-10, 12, 13) and one for the Outside Backs (11, 14, 15). Each jersey was made using a material compound that Nike named Dri-Fit™ - it is 62% cotton, 34% polyester and 4% spandex. This compound was lightweight, stretchable and non water-retentive. Nike's research suggests that the jersey is 154 grams lighter than cotton jerseys when dry, and 362 grams lighter when wet. The fabric was stretchable in order for it to be tight and figure hugging, as loose jerseys were deemed to aid the opposition in the tackle. Collars were done away with for the same reason.
[photos - 1905 England Schoolboy jersey, 2003 England jersey worn by Lewis Moody, Nike Outside Back concept design]
The jerseys also included Dri-Fit™ Mesh ventilation panels designed to keep players from overheating, and rubber grip prints to aid ball retention. The three designs were merged into one upon release. Sadly, the Outside Back design [image 3 above], which was effectively a leotard, never saw the light of day.
The principles of Nike's 2003 Dri-Fit™ jerseys were quickly adopted by other manufacturers and most international sides wore similarly designed kit during the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The designs were then adopted by leading club sides throughout Europe and the Southern hemisphere. Subsequent jerseys have witnessed small refinements but have not altered significantly.
Today's rugby jerseys provide many of the same basic functions as those worn at Rugby School in the mid-nineteenth century. The greatest changes - such as fabric and fit - reflect a century and a half of technological improvement. Other additions such as sponsor marks and manufacturer logos illustrate how the culture of the sport has radically changed from a schoolboy pastime into a global sporting-corporate showpiece.
This article is written using content from an exhibition held at the World Rugby Museum in 2011-12
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