After a couple of seasons where Scottish rugby seems to be on a rapid upward curve, the Scottish national side go into a World Cup year with expectations and ambitions higher than they have been at any point in decades.
With the future seemingly bright, then, it’s fitting that the new Scotland jerseys are the most overtly futuristic designs that Macron has produced since they went heavy on the retro upon taking up the SRU contract in 2013.
The new home shirt is dark blue, of course – it’s not that unconventional – this time around paired with complimentary coloured shorts for the all-in-one look.
The most striking part is probably the collar – a slightly V’d design with a squared off false placket, complete with striking purple piping.
There’s also unconventional green stitching along the sides and back – an unconventional colour for a Scotland shirt, but one that’s inspired by the SRU tartan.
The other striking feature of the shirt is the side panels, which have a purple fade design with very distinct blocky stages.
The alternate shirt is the same basic pattern as the home design, but a closer look reveals that that the shirt actually has a very nice embossed hoop pattern on the body of the shirt.
The colour itself is being called ‘silver grey’ by the SRU and Macron – if that looks like white to your eyes, well you’re not alone, but there’s definitely a silvery vibe to the fabric in certain lights.
It’s not all ‘silver grey’ of course – the stitching on the change shirt is a lovely shade of light blue, and its used to accent the prominent dark blue panels on the shoulders, sleeves and hips of the jersey design.
New for this season on the test jerseys are the badges – instead of being stitched on in the traditional fashion, they’re made of a rubberised gel that’s designed to enhance grip and ball security.
People have their reservations about manufacturers swapping traditional stitched badges for heat-applied transfers, and whether these ones will stand up to the rigour of multiple washes without peeling remains to be seen – though we will say that in our experience they’ve become much more hard-wearing in the last few years.
Macron hasn’t put too many feet wrong with Scotland’s jerseys as they head into their fifth year with the SRU, and these jerseys are another fine example of a partnership working really well. They also point towards a more modern and bold design philosophy than what we’ve seen in the past – and in a World Cup year, that’s no bad thing at all.
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