After a couple of seasons of producing their kits in-house, Bath returned to the external supplier game this year by signing up with one of the biggest names around – Canterbury. To mark this return, Bath are also getting a third, European jersey in addition to the home and away shirts already revealed – more shirts! Yay! Let’s dive in…
We absolutely loved the new Canterbury home shirt we looked at a few weeks ago – it hit a sweet spot between classic and modern, and had some nice touches to mark the club’s 150th anniversary to boot.
This is the club’s Euro shirt since back in the dark old Puma days, but this is a much, much less garish affair. No hint of crazy flames here, instead we have a very classy looking all-black design set off nicely by the gold 150th anniversary piping from the home design.
There are some nice touches that make this even more of a Bath shirt however – namely blue and white stripey sleeve cuffs, and the our old friend, the subtle hoops makes an appearance on the body of the shirt.
They’re not just regular hoops, however – if you look closely, you’ll notice that the hatching pattern that created the hoop effect actually creates three distinct styles of hoop, that match the design of Bath’s traditional three coloured hoops. A nice touch.
There are other aspects of the home shirt that are also echoed on this shirt – we have Canterbury’s new, redesigned Loop neckline, the 150th anniversary badge in the centre of the chest and, most importantly of all, the ultra-cool 3D injection-moulded Bath club crest.
Some people get narky when clubs bring out third or European shirts, with the positively mental ‘oh not another shirt I’ll have to buy’ refrain often trotted out (YOU DON’T HAVE TO BUY IT!).
While it’s been a few years since Bath have had a Euro shirt, we find it hard to believe fans will be too upset when it’s as lovely an offering as this. Black and gold is a tried and tested combination – just ask Sam Sparro – and combined with the little touches that pay homage to the more traditional Bath shirt, this rounds out a trio of lovely new jerseys for the Westcountry club and Canterbury.
SHIT/GOOD RATING: Good
Rugby Shirt Watch 
