The Ospreys and Canterbury partnership might only be in its first season, but the results have already been something to take notice of. We’ve had a home shirt that threw back to the region’s early days and a classy but striking away shirt that we said was their best ever – but was there something missing?
For some people, however, as nice as those shirts were, they were missing a little of the truly out-there eccentricity that Ospreys shirts were so famous for. Well, the European shirt has redressed the balance rather conclusively.
Simply put, this is one of the most eye-catching shirts we’ve seen this season – but it’s a design that actually cleverly continues the same theme seen on the home and away jerseys.
To a greater or lesser degree, both other designs this season have featured the jagged, irregular ‘bedrock hoop’ motif – a tribute to the fans and players who have formed the foundations of the Ospreys’ on field success.
Here, however, they’ve used the motif in an unbelievably unique way, plastering the design across the front and back of the shirt in irregular, haphazard style.
Rather than white, however, Canterbury has opted to use ultra-trendy heathered grey as the base colour, paired with jet black sleeves so it still feels like a proper Ospreys jersey.
There’s another twist, however – one other feature of Canterbury’s home and away shirts this season was a lack of a bright third colour, which has traditionally changed every year. Here however, we have bright yellow accents on certain segments of the jersey’s pattern, and in a nice touch, the main sponsor logo has been altered to coordinate, too.
This shirt is certainly not for everyone – but if you like your Ospreys jerseys classy and restrained or modern but subtle, the home and away shirts more than fit the bill. If you want something that’s pushing the boundaries, however, this is clearly the Ospreys shirt for you.
The best part is that it’s not just a bold, exciting design, it’s one that iterates on the overarching theme of this year’s jerseys in a truly unique way – and that’s something that’s truly clever.
Rugby Shirt Watch 
The stripes around the collar look like suspenders. Ugh.