We don’t see too much of BLK these days – it’s strange to think that at the last Rugby World Cup, they had more teams than any other supplier, and at one point half of Super Rugby was in the Aussie brand’s stable. 

They were also making inroads into Europe, with Saracens, Ospreys and Connacht on their books… but with Sarries heading back to Nike and Ospreys with Canterbury, Connacht are the last ones standing.

It’s fitting that Connacht have stayed with BLK – they were the brand’s first top-flight European deal, and the province has enjoyed unprecedented success since then – not least their remarkable Pro12 triumph.

The 2018/19 jersey is another example of what has been a very fruitful partnership – and it’s a design that has an interesting theme behind it.

The jersey is the classic Connacht emerald green of course, but the front of the design has an interesting neon green pinstriped motif that sees the stripes getting closer together as they go up the design, becoming solid just below the badge.

The motif is apparently representative of Connacht’s ‘Grassroots to Green Shirts’ philosophy, and the emphasis on development and community rugby that the province is so passionate about.

It’s also a very cool design, that’s modern while at the same time having the clean and classy feel we like so much. We might not see too many BLK jerseys any more, but when they’re still designing shirts like this, that’s a real pity.