Ugly rugby jumpers are for sponsors, not fans
Roar Pro
By sheek, 10 Feb 2010 The Crowd is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Rugby Union, wallabies
I’ve been wondering lately, who gives us what we, the fans, want – ‘us’ or ‘them’? ‘Them’, or ‘they’, are shadowing creatures who are difficult to pin down. They can be so-called ‘experts’. “Experts say this, or that”. But what qualifies an expert?
In a sporting context, they and them are I believe marketeers and lobby groups, who get the ear of sporting bodies, perhaps slip them a bundle under the table, in order to foist upon us, the unsuspecting public, something we might not actually like, or agree with.
Take the current rugby Wallabies jersey.
It looks more like a bicycle shirt. Now, I reckon bicycle shirts look great on bicycle riders. They are entirely appropriate and practical for cycling.
But they suck as a substitute for rugby jerseys. I’m actually surprised many rugby fans are okay with this. But then I wonder if they have bothered to give it much thought.
I’ve been clamouring for a return of the jersey collar, then I saw the latest version of the Waratahs jersey.
YUK! Make that double YUK!
If you’re going to treat the collar like some kind of stick-on, then I would rather they did away with it all together. Either we have the full collar, or nothing.
I also want to see a return to jerseys with some give. Yeah, I know why they did away with collars and ‘give’ in the jersey – so the tackler has nothing to grab onto.
Hell, it didn’t hurt anyone in the old days.
As for grabbing collars, it very rarely happened. Firstly, if the ref didn’t penalise the offender, then the offender sure knew the opposition was going to retaliate big-time.
In American football and baseball, the traditional outfits have been retained, despite all the latest technology being used in the fabric. Why is it so difficult for rugby to retain its traditional look.
Why this rush to embrace the future before we actually need to?
Finally, sponsorship on the national jersey. I appreciate Qantas’ involvement with rugby. I’m sure they’ve paid a lot of money for the privilege of having their name on the national jersey.
But it’s still wrong! Especially being inundated with the ‘Qantas’ Wallabies. Qantas doesn’t own the Wallabies, we, the fans, own the Wallabies. It belongs to the country, not some sponsor paying the highest bid at any one time.
Qantas can have its name across all the training gear, but not the playing strip. Sponsors can have their names on club and provincial jerseys, but not the national jersey.
If only the people in charge had the balls and morals to do the right thing!
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rugbyfuture said | February 10th 2010 @ 2:16am | Report comment
agree with the jersey cut, however the ARU need as much cash as they can grab currently and that means team and stomach naming rights. until there are enough fans to support it i say its alright.
sheek said | February 10th 2010 @ 5:44am | Report comment
Ahhh Rugbyfuture,
So you think the only way we would know Qantas is sponsoring the Wallabies, is to have their naming rights slobbering all over the national jersey? And that that would be the only way to attract sponsors?
I would agree to disagree on both counts above.
‘Qantas Australian Wallabies’ I can cop, but not ‘Qantas Wallabies’. Or ‘Australian Wallabies sponsored by Qantas’. But not ‘Qantas Wallabies’.
mitzter said | February 10th 2010 @ 7:16am | Report comment
I know we’ve discussed the jerseys already on other threads but the whole thing makes me sad.
The irb needs to stipulate collars, cotton and removal of sponsors from national jerseys.
As someone mentioned before the nfl has these stipulations to keep their ‘look’ of players so should we
sheek said | February 10th 2010 @ 7:37am | Report comment
What is happening here, I believe, is a variation of the “evil triumphs when good men do nothing” theme.
Because we, the public & fans, don’t make a hue & cry over unseemly changes, the marketeers, advertisers, spruikers, lobbyists, etc assume that our silence is actually compliance, even approval.
Do Qld Reds rugby fans (a majority) really approve of the action by QRU to cast aside over 100 years of tradition by dumping the maroon jersey in favour of red???
Do WA Force rugby fans (a majority) really approve of the action by WARU to cast aside over 100 years of tradition by dumping the yellow in their state colours with a kind of bland, pale blue???
These are largely trivial matters. But to what extent did the various unions above go to seek the approval of their primary stakeholders – the fans???
But then, just to contradict myself, the fans don’t always think deeply about what’s right or wrong……….
And not forgetting ACT’s original rugby jersey (pre Brumbies) was broad gold & royal blue hoops (like NZ’s Bay Of Plenty).
Qld Reds rugby fan said | February 10th 2010 @ 8:19am | Report comment
Sheek, never!
Brett McKay said | February 10th 2010 @ 8:59am | Report comment
Sheek, I’m sure you would have enjoyed the sight of England playing in the off-white, collared, long sleeve, traditionally-fitting, sponsor-free number last weekend against Wales. As Spiro said, it was just a shame Wales couldn’t match the gesture, which would have been a fitting tribute for the anniversary being marked..
Spiro Zavos said | February 10th 2010 @ 9:30am | Report comment
Is there a link between the awfulness of the jersey and the way a team plays? The All Blacks are consistenly good (except in Rugby World cup tournaments) and have kept their iconic jersey. The Wallabies have changed and changed and this inconsistency has been reflected in their inconsistent performances.
My pet hate jersey change is Scotland. They had a magnificent navy blue jersey, very stylish which was graced by great players like John Rutherford and Gavin Hasting. Now they change their jersey all the time with variations of dun-grey and off-blue and can’t produce any players wearing these messes to match anything like the play in the past.
Bring back the traditional colours, the hoops and the collars and give away those stupid muscle-defining lines and obscure patterns on the sox. Sheek is right.
Timmypig said | February 10th 2010 @ 9:34am | Report comment
Brett the England jersey apparently was made of all the smarty-pants modern fabrics, but it looked GREAT! Fully agree that Wales should have come to the party too.
I wonder if English rugby fans will start a push for retention of this jersey beyond this one centenary match?
Brett McKay said | February 10th 2010 @ 9:53am | Report comment
and Timmy, Sheek has always maintained that there’s no problem using technology. That’s his whole point about the NFL and MLB – they maintain theire traditional looks, but you can bet they use the very best materials and techniques available.
Completely agree, the England jumpers looked great. I didn’t actually realise that it was a commemorative thing initially; I thought the RFU had decided to follow the All Blacks lead, and declare the jumper front off-limits to sponsors. I felt somewhat disappointed when I realised it was a one-off…
Rickety Knees said | February 10th 2010 @ 1:18pm | Report comment
Mate – it’s all about the revenue gleaned from merchandising nothing else. Everytime your produce a new strip the Metro market goes out and buys it.
Hammer said | February 10th 2010 @ 9:49am | Report comment
bit late now – the time to start jumping up and down was when the ARU first turned turned the traditional wallaby jersey into a dogs breakfast ….
I clearly remember when the NZRFU put up the tender for the AB jersey …. all interested parties were told in no uncertain terms that the all black look was not to be tampered with …. the NPC teams jerseys are another classic example … it really comes down to the the pride each individual union has for the traditions of the team they represent
Brett McKay said | February 10th 2010 @ 9:57am | Report comment
and more power to them, Hammer…
Was it Hawke’s Bay who last year were able to go back to a clean jumper, but with the full support of their major sponsor??
katzilla said | February 11th 2010 @ 9:34pm | Report comment
Nah I think last year we had a few names all over the Jerseys Brett.
Each Jersey had a solo sponsor from a different local business.
Although when Kooga came onboard 3 years ago they bought in a radical new jersey (which I have on right now) and the Hawkes Bay fans said No Way. The Board listened, that jersey has now been confined to the training grounds, and those lucky enough to get one
Didn’t make it to one game.
Timmypig said | February 10th 2010 @ 10:06am | Report comment
Hammer I jumped up and down in no uncertain terms, wrote to and called the ARU, and even had an angry letter published in the Sydney Morning Herald. To no avail of course ……
I’m not sure I like the AB’s jersey either; have to go back a few years – all black apart from the white collar. France? SAf? Their current ones are crook too, but arguably the worst recent jersey has been the Scottish one. From hero to zero in one fell swoop. Used to be a classic, simple, beautiful bit of kit; utterly horrid now.
Blinky Bill of Bellingen said | February 10th 2010 @ 10:14am | Report comment
Must agree that the English ‘traditional’ jumper looked absolutely fantastic. I wish they would stick with it and lead the way, so to speak.
Sponsors. Mmm both a curse and a blessing. But I suppose you can’t have it both ways. Rugby in Australia is hardly high profile, yet the economic demands are still just as high. So sponsors need to be looked after, even if I HATE seeing ‘Qantas’ across the chest. I mean it’s just so damn intrusive.
sheek said | February 10th 2010 @ 8:54pm | Report comment
Blinky,
Sure the ARU needs money, but do we need to sell our souls along the way?
I would have thought the answer to that is simply – NO!
it comes down to poor leadership – lazy, timid, whatever, it’s a lack of leadership…..
Dan Dresden said | February 10th 2010 @ 11:09am | Report comment
Every time the ARU opens its mouth its always “Qantas Wallabies”. You know how annoying that is? Just shut up and use their real name “Australian Wallabies” or just “Wallabies”.