USA Perpiganan
In recent years, Perpignan’s shirts have mainly been either overly busy or just plain hideously offensive. So it’s refreshing to see something that could be regarded as subtle, restrained, even classy from the Catalan side this season. We really love the subtle stripes – it looked great on this year’s Lions shirt and so it is here – that gradually get thinner as you move up the shirt, and the cuffing on the collar and the sleeves is a nice accent, very reminiscent of the current All Black shirt. We don’t mind designers cribbing from other makers if the result comes together in a pleasant way, and so it is here.
SHIT/GOOD RATING: GOOD
CA Brive
For the better part of a decade, Brive have been a bit of a mess, both on and off the field. It’s fitting then, that they’ll be running out onto the paddock wearing a shirt that’s a bit of a dog egg. Credit where credit’s due, French apparel maker Otago Rugby might specialise more in off-field rugby ‘fashion’ wear, but there’s a pretty decent shirt under there somewhere. Sadly, like many rugby shirts, and French shirts in particular, this shirt is crippled by sponsor saturation. Sponsors on shirts are a fact of modern sport, but too often clubs don’t think about simple things like colour or position, and slap them on in a way that just ruins the shirt – this is a textbook example.
SHIT/GOOD RATING: SHIT
Aviron Bayonnais
Bayonne were a team beset by disharmony on and off the field last season, but they’re packed with talent, and in our humble opinion, they’re sporting one of the most uniquely classy shirts in European rugby this year. Traditionally, Bayonne have sported a shirt that’s white with some kind of sky blue accent, usually around the shoulders and chest, but it’s rare that it’s been done in such a classy way. We just love how the upper segment of the shirt meets in a subtle point, with the only adornments being the tiny club badge, and the Kappa shoulder logos. The dark blue accents on the collar and cuffs only enhance matters – it’s SUCH a lovely colour palette, implemented in such a careful, thoughtful and unique way, we can even forgive the weird flower/fan/rotor blade things on the bottom…
SHIT/GOOD RATING: GOOD
Check back later in the week for more from our 2013/14 Top 14 shirt round-up, with kits from Racing, Toulouse and more!
Rugby Shirt Watch 
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