Ahead of the hugely anticipated announcement of the British & Irish Lions squad to tour New Zealand today, the Lions’ official apparel supplier has launched the Elite jersey, which is identical to what the lucky few chosen will wear against the All Blacks.
Visually the player-issue jersey is almost identical to the supporter’s version of the design that we reviewed at its launch back in November, but as the equally elite £120 price tag suggests, there’s a lot more going on under the hood.
Primarily, the materials used in the Elite jersey are different to the standard replica, and their use has been carefully chosen to give the Lions a garment that can give them the edge.
The body material is made using Canterbury’s Vapodri+ adaptive polymer fabric, while the shoulders and sleeves have been given a water-repellant Vaposhield finish that’s designed to reduce water ingress – ideal for rainy New Zealand conditions.
In addition to the material, the jersey also features other pro-ready features, including a test-quality collar construction with ripstop ‘wing-tip’ design, bonded placket and elasticated back neck for ultimate strength and comfort.
The British & Irish Lions Elite jersey also comes in a unique sealed packaging designed to emphasise Canterbury’s ‘Untouchable Jersey’ concept – stay tuned to Rugby Shirt Watch this week for a closer examination of the jersey and its packaging.
Rugby Shirt Watch 
“launched the Elite jersey, which is identical to what the lucky few chosen will wear against the All Blacks”
Wrong, the shirt is clearly missing the GPS Pouch and that is only the most visible feature that is missing. Canterbury has never put the Player Issue Version on sale, the “Test” or “Elite” Replicas always had a few minors details that were different.
Inclusion of a GPS pouch on a replica jersey is profoundly silly, so we don’t really class it as a difference – it’s identical in every other way. Very few companies actually bother with the pouch on their test replicas as it’s more likely to cause discomfort and it totally superfluous unless you’re actually playing in a test match.