Sale found themselves unexpectedly stuck in a relegation fight during the 2012/13 season, with all sorts of problems besetting the club on and off the field. With a good blend of youth and experience, the Sharks will certainly be hoping to give the fans at Salford City Stadium something to cheer for… and maybe fill a few of those empty seats up too…
The 2013 season also sees Sale get a new kit sponsor in Samurai, and a bold new look with it. The later-era of Sale’s Canterbury gear saw them incorporate the shark-fin design in a much more prominent way, with results that, while striking, were a little tacky. Their Cotton Traders gear had a more classic vibe, generally, and even flirted with hoops in a way – this new shirt sticks those two things together.
This shirt shouldn’t work, really – on paper the combination of hoops and a giant shark-fin motif should look cluttered and tacky… and yet this somehow manages to avoid that. The way the shark fin is almost exploding off a classic hooped design works really well, and by keeping the colours to blue and white, it doesn’t feel overly busy either. Sharp.
The alternate shirt keeps things clean – the shark-fin motif is a bit more stylised and subtle, while the hoops are relegated to a single dark red band across the chest, incorporating the sponsor logo and club badge.
It’s not the most cutting-edge design, and feels a little like a throwback to the mid-2000s in some way, but the choice of colours is really effective, and we really like the subtle piping and the single solid red band across the chest.
Sale will be hoping to return to the top half of the table, and maybe even kick on to playoff and Heineken Cup success over the next two seasons. However it goes, they’ll be doing it in a shirt that’s both modern and classy. Not a mean feat .
SHIT/GOOD RATING: GOOD
Rugby Shirt Watch 
