When you think of Leinster rugby shirts, you probably think of subtle, classy, restrained designs that have made the province one of the most consistently well turned out teams around… but never let it be said that Canterbury aren’t afraid to flip the script.
Revealed in typically unique and memorable style this week with the help of Irish artist Barry Jazz, the new Leinster away jersey has been causing quite a stir, primarily because of the bold, shout-from-the-rooftops use of neon yellow as the primary colour here.
While the odd bit of neon as a secondary or trim colour is super duper trendy right now, and a trend we’re definitely in to, there’s no doubt that for those of a more traditional bent, the sheer amount of neon used here is going to be a difficult pill to swallow.
But let’s put that to one side for a minute and consider the design of the shirt itself, which is rather cool, we think. The haphazard stripes of various thicknesses gives a cool, old-school Canterbury Uglies vibe to the front of the design, and what’s this? A proper collar?!
Yes, hot on the back of ditching the iconic Loop neckline for the most recent England shirt, Canterbury has brought it back with a retro bang here, blending the loop with a fold-over collar that brings back happy memories of those old Leinster shirts of 10 or 15 years ago…
And there is the strange dissonance that we think is making this jersey so polarising among fans – on the one hand the design here is actually pretty retro and old-school, and on the other hand, it’s bloody neon yellow! Whether you hate this jersey or love it will depend firmly on your tolerance for the latter, as there’s very little to complain about otherwise.
Buy the new Leinster away shirt at World Rugby Shop
Rugby Shirt Watch 
Well, aside from the fact that this neon fad was overdone in association football some time ago, in general the shirt is just plain ugly. Will the players be out as traffic police away from the game?