Emirates Lions Canterbury Super Rugby 2018 Home Shirt

It’s remarkable to think that for the last few years, the Lions have been the great hope of South Africa in Super Rugby – for the longest time the Johannesburg-based franchise was an also-ran, but a big Emirates sponsorship deal a few years changed all that. With two consecutive Super Rugby finals under their belt, however, the Lions will look to kick on for 2017, and they’ll do it wearing one of their nicest jerseys in years.

Last year’s home shirt was fine… but it with its plain red design it wasn’t exactly memorable, but the 2018 version should linger much longer in the memory.

The front of the design has a beautifully simple white and red hooped design accented by a cool sublimated texture on the red bits, and some nice pinstripes on the white hoops, but the back couldn’t be more different.

Once again the Johannesburg skyline is a feature of the jersey, as it was two years ago, but this time it’s perhaps sensibly relegated to the rear, with the white panel really allowing the effect to shine.

As if that wasn’t enough, however, the back also has the face of a suitably majestic lion sublimated onto the red bit.

Is it going a bit overboard with the ideas when one or two would probably have been fine? Yes. Does that stop us really liking it? Not really!