Having just squeezed into the play-offs in 2014 after a mediocre 2013, the Broncos will be hoping to continue again this year. The solid pack bolstered by Kiwi Adam Blair and potentially explosive backline including ex-Canberra wonderkid Anthony Milford will be dressed to impress in yet another beauty from Nike.
At first this home kit seems a confusing mesh of two designs: a classy, simple maroon on top; and ever-increasing yellow bars underneath that look like some kind of 1970s computer game, or Tronish as we shall now call it.
But together it works seamlessly, with the sponsors in the middle and on the sleeves sitting in the background rather than hogging the limelight.
It’s nice to see a shirt that doesn’t conform to the usual styles and conventions of jersey design, and while the stripes along the bottom might be unconventional, they definitely work well.
The away takes its cue from last season’s home shirt, with a diagonal sash bisecting the Broncos’ maroon and gold. However this year they’ve reversed the colours to have the yellow as the predominant colour underneath, with the dividing line more of a blur than a stark edge.
Neither of these things bother us, but with the yellow now behind the sponsor, it means the lettering is now a dark maroon and no longer white, which added a nice contrast. A good shirt then, just not quite as nice as last year’s.
On the whole, both of these shirts show once again that Nike is one of the most consistently progressive shirt designers out there – they might not make too many rugby shirts any more, but when they do, they’re worth seeing. These might not please the purists, but we can’t complain about either.
SHIT/GOOD RATING: GOOD
Rugby Shirt Watch 