Adidas has begun the build up to the blockbuster British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand this summer by revealing special limited edition jerseys for the New Zealand Super Rugby franchises to wear against Warren Gatland’s men.
The Blues, Highlanders, Crusaders, Hurricanes and Chiefs will all be facing the Lions in midweek games, and they’ll be doing it wearing bespoke designs that reflect the notion of New Zealand as a whole rising up to take on the challenge of the tourists.
Each of the five jerseys features a distressed map design reflecting their respective franchise territory.
With Adidas no longer supplying the Lions gear, the German giant can get right behind the All Blacks in their battle, and that feeds down to the Super Rugby teams, too – with Adidas rugby head honcho Simon Cartwright leaving little doubt in our minds.
“It’s a big year for rugby in New Zealand with the return of the Lions, so we want to arm all teams with everything they need to defend their territories.” said Cartwright. “Each jersey is a visual representation of the pride they have in their region and what’s become very clear to us in our conversations with team leaders is that losing this battle is not an option.”
The special edition jerseys will only be available in 2017, and in addition to the Lions tour match, they will also be worn on special occasions during the 2017 Super Rugby season.
We’ll be reviewing all five limited edition jerseys this week, so check back on Rugby Shirt Watch to get a more detailed look at the designs!
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