“There’s no collar so it’s almost like a football jersey, we were saying… Feels pretty comfortable and if I’m lucky enough to give it a go out on the pitch that would be great.”
Garry Ringrose was looking every part the established Irish international when, at the home ground of Old Belvedere RFC, we caught up for a chat. Minutes earlier, Ringrose had been out on the far pitch with Leinster and Ireland teammates James Ryan and Robbie Henshaw, posing for pictures in the new home and away Ireland jerseys.
Ireland launched their new Canterbury kits on Monday morning and they will be first on show in the November internationals, against Italy, Argentina, New Zealand and the USA.
“You always dream of playing against New Zealand,” said Ringrose. “They are number one (in the world) for a reason and it is always a pretty tough test. There will be no easy game in this series.”
The jersey itself is a departure from the 2017/18 offering. While last season’s had a snug collar, the 2018/19 home and away jerseys have a distinctive, rounded collar.
There are flecks of black, white and light green on the torso of the jersey and the material is a lot lighter. The sleeves are plain green, like the collar, and there is an embossed IRFU badge to go with the Canterbury and Vodafone logos.
After playing it safe with their first jersey (2016/17) after their return as kit manufacturer, Canterbury pushed the boat out last season and, this time out, have gone bolder still. We are not as enamoured with the alternate jersey, which will be worn first against Argentina or USA, as it has a distinct looking of a training top to us.
HOME
ALTERNATE
These jerseys will take Ireland all the way up to the World Cup warm-up games next year.
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