In 1995, rugby jumpers looked so much better
Roar Pro
By sheek, 16 Feb 2010 The Crowd is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Rugby Union, Super Rugby 2011
This is a follow-up on my whinge about the trashing of tradition by our rugby provinces — removing collars from jerseys and throwing out traditional colours.
Had the five Super franchises been playing each other in 1995, the year before professionalism, this is how their outfits would have looked.
QUEENSLAND
Jersey: Maroon with White collar and number
Shorts: Navy Blue
Sox: Maroon with twin White bands on fold
NEW SOUTH WALES
Jersey: Sky Blue with Navy Blue collar and number
Shorts: Navy Blue
Sox: Navy Blue with Sky Blue fold
ACT
Jersey: Royal Blue and Yellow hoops with White collar and number
Shorts: Royal Blue (perhaps Black)
Sox: Royal Blue with Yellow fold
VICTORIA
Jersey: Navy Blue with White collar and number
Shorts: Navy Blue
Sox: Navy Blue with White fold, or twin white bands on fold
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Jersey: Yellow with Black collar and number
Shorts: Black
Sox: Black with single Black band on Yellow fold
Compare this with what we have today.
Queensland used to wear Maroon, not Red. WA wore Yellow, not Pale Blue. Victoria had a ‘block’ Navy Blue jersey instead of the current ‘stripes’. And ACT’s colours were Royal Blue and Yellow.
Each uniform was distinctive, and not requiring an alternate uniform in case of colour “clashes”.
Today, apart from Queensland’s garish Red, the other four provinces all have variations of blue, from ACT & VIctoria’s Dark Blues to NSW & WA’s Light Blues.
And what if South Australia was thrown into the mix?
They have the potential for the most attractive jersey. While there have been many variations of their jersey, my favourite was a similarity with the traditional Northampton (Eng) jersey, as follows.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Jersey: Broad Red and Navy Blue hoops broken by narrow Yellow bands with White collar and number
Shorts: Navy Blue
Sox: Red with single Yellow and Navy Blue band on fold
I know there are more important issues around, but I can’t help but feel what we are witnessing today is not an improvement on the past.
I can accept the changes to the ACT and Victorian uniforms, but not Queensland and WA. Not to mention the disappearance of the collars!
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Spiro Zavos said | February 16th 2010 @ 7:34am | Report comment
If only the administrators could see that these new dog’s breakfast jerseys are a visual disaster, the better it would be. I reckon every season the major teams should play at least one match in a vintage jersey to show everyone how good the kit was before the marketing people got hold of it.
sheek said | February 16th 2010 @ 8:13am | Report comment
Thanks Spiro….. couldn’t agree more!
Gatesy said | February 16th 2010 @ 8:37am | Report comment
What about the Wallabies..? …Nuff said!
The old full gold jersey, with the only emblem that counted, no names on back, just numbers, striped sox and plain dark green shorts was fantastic. Chuck in a bit of claret from each game and you had a great combo. Bring it back,,please!!
PastHisBest said | February 16th 2010 @ 1:03pm | Report comment
Particularly the claret!
Even looser said | February 16th 2010 @ 8:42am | Report comment
England of course, played with the traditional jersey when they took on Wales and I’d reckon you’d be hard pressed to find anyone that didn’t think it looked great.
Hopefully common sense will prevail and one day the body hugging fashion statementsof today will be banished, to be replaced by kit that the fans love to see & wear.
Gary Russell-Sharam said | February 16th 2010 @ 8:44am | Report comment
We have given way and sold our souls to the marketing devils. Rugby has always been about “Tradition”. The Tahs rabbit on about it on their web site and so do the Reds but the fact of the matter is that “Tradition” matters not a fig where the marketing boys are concerned. The more colours and less clothing that you can wear seems to be what the marketing boys want. One only had to look at the ridiculous thing that the Tahs were wearing as a collar on thier jersey, it looked like a neck brace and to make matters worse the Reds didn’t even bother to have a collar. Having a collar on a jersey set Rugby apart from the other codes it was a distinction that all rugby players were proud of when we didn’t get paid to play. In those days you played for pride in you team, your jersey and your club. A lot of that pride seems to be ebbing away to be replaced by the grab for cash. I don’t have a problem with being professional but it’s about time we got professional about our pride in our team and it’s traditions.
sheek said | February 16th 2010 @ 8:53am | Report comment
Gary,
I did ask the question in a recent post – who gives us what we want, us or them?
Them being being the ubiquitous “they”, who variously may be, or are, marketeers, advertisers, consultants, lobbyists, spriukers, carbetbaggers, con-men, call them what you will…..
How do they get away with it? Is it because of our renowned apathy & indolence….. ???
We still go to games. We still buy TV subs. We still purchase jerseys for our kids. So we must be in total agreement with “them”……….
Timmypig said | February 16th 2010 @ 9:24am | Report comment
Sheek I’ve made mention a couple of times recently of an angry letter of mine published in the SMH in 1997. Here it is for your enjoyment. I note sadly that nothing I mentio in my letter has improved since 1997 …..
“Dear Editor
“To attend this year’s Sydney rugby tests we will need to part with $62 per ticket. In return for that small fortune we can expect to be told when to stand up for the anthems and have the words displayed on the scoreboard. We will be constantly bombarded by advertising through the PA system, on the playing surface, on the perimeter fence, and on the players and referees’ jerseys. We will be subjected to ‘rev-up’ music and pyrotechnics. To top it all off, we have to endure our national team playing not in the national jersey but in a multinational corporation’s marketing tool.
“I wish the ARFU would stop insulting us like this. We know when to stand for the anthems. Rugby crowds also know the words and sing them with gusto. A rugby field is supposed to be green grass, not a billboard. For $62 we do not need to be constantly told to “BUY! BUY! BUY!” nor do we require motivation music blasting our ears off. Perhaps most of all, we expect our lads to be wearing the national jersey.
“I will hand over my ‘hard earned’ and I hope to have a good time. I can not help thinking, however, that it was so much more enjoyable when it was rugby, not a ‘sports entertainment product’”.
Brett McKay said | February 16th 2010 @ 2:32pm | Report comment
$62 to get into a Test – oh for simpler times!!
sheek said | February 16th 2010 @ 10:50am | Report comment
Good on you Timmypig, for having your say.
The problem is, unless a lot of us are doing the same thing on a regular basis, we get dismissed as being from the “lunatic fringe”.
This is how these people operate. They won’t take any notice of us as long we’re willing to cop what they dish out to us. Only when a ‘critical mass’ of fans complain, are they likely to listen….. maybe!
DST said | February 16th 2010 @ 11:10am | Report comment
Unfortunately the rugby administrators in Australia do not seem to have an understanding of tradition. They don’t know why people watch rugby or any sporting event. I am a consumer researcher myself and it is clear that every move the administrators make (from jersey design to half-time ‘entertainment’) is based on some sort of research. The problem is, their research is flawed. There is an old saying that there are two reasons people do things – the one they tell you and the real reason. There is not enough marketing savvy in the ARU or any of the state unions to dig a bit deeper.
I’ve often said everyone working in sports marketing should read ‘Fever Pitch’ by Nick Hornby – it gives a great insight into what drives fans. It’s a far more emotional attachment than people understand, much more closely linked to memories of the past and hopes for the future. It comes from the crowd, not the players, and it’s something that can’t be artificially manufactured.
rugbyfuture said | February 16th 2010 @ 11:39am | Report comment
yeh, in terms of the wallabies i hope i don’t grow too much more so i can hold onto my 03 RWC jersey forever.
I wear GOLD, not yellow.
Dan said | February 17th 2010 @ 10:01am | Report comment
Actually the only Aussie rep team who wear “gold” – and I mean GOLD – is the ODI side… and that’s only when they wear their predominantly green strip. Every other jersey is yellow. This new wallabies jersey is just as entitled to be called “gold” as the last ones.