London Irish have marked the club’s return to the Aviva Premiership by signing a long-term kit deal with Australian manufacturer, XBlades Sports.

XBlades replaces O’Neills as the maker of LIRFC kit after three seasons with the Irish brand, and the press release claims that the rugby league specialists beat off several major rivals to secure the club’s rights.

XBlades already have a presence in the Aviva Premiership, having supplied Gloucester’s kit for the last two seasons, and now join Samurai and Under Armour in having two teams in England’s top flight. 

Speaking at the announcement of the four-year deal, XBlades UK CEO Lee Jenkinson was keen to talk up the potential of the London Irish project.

“London Irish are a huge name within the sport, one with a proud history and heritage, and one with the ambition to make a success of their return to the top flight,” said Jenkinson. “We firmly believe they have the infrastructure to become a top-four team in the Premiership and when you combine that with their huge appeal in the London, Ireland and the Irish American market, it’s a very exciting prospect.”

The new London Irish 2017/18 kits from XBlades will be revealed in August – follow Rugby Shirt Watch on Facebook or Twitter to make sure you don’t miss them.