Are we seeing the start of a new trend in rugby?
In the old days, it was a regular occurrence to see rugby front row players wearing those clunky boots that came up around the ankles, but in the last few years they’ve been replaced with lighter, more flexible models.
But Toulon’s Drew Mitchell looks to be bringing back the trend, after he wore a pair of American Football boots during his side’s rout of Ulster at the weekend.
Mitchell’s new Under Armour “cleats” (although we hate that word) came way up past his ankle, although they looked considerably lighter than the traditional ones worn by prop forwards 20 years ago.
The Aussie has suffered a bad ankle break and dislocation in the past, and in an interview with Fox in Australia two years ago, he even mentioned the constant fear he has of doing damage to it again, saying: “I picture myself a number of times daily snapping it”.
The American Football boots offer much more protection to the ankle, so could we see more rugby players trying them out?
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