The Jaguares might have only existed since 2016, but in the three seasons since, Argentina’s Super Rugby franchise has won the hearts of many a neutral fan. And to be quite honest, a very big part seems to have been because of their jerseys.
And Jaguardo, of course. Always, always Jaguardo.
But the jerseys have been pretty stunning, too – black and orange was a perfect combo from the outset, and since then Nike has been doing some pretty lovely things with it, creating some of the nicest, cleanest designs around.
So er… if it ain’t broke… do fix it? That certainly seems to be the Jaguares’ strategy, because for 2019 the team has revealed a brand spanking new look complete with new team crest and wordmark, and paired it with their boldest jersey designs yet.
The home shirt is black, of course, but around the shoulders and chest we have an eye-catching fern pattern designed to emulate the rainforest foliage that you’ll find real-life jaguars prowling through.
You’ll also notice that the club crest is quite dramatically different to before – the new logo ditching the word ‘Jaguares’ altogether and replacing it with a still-stylised but more realistic take on the jaguar head than the previous iteration.
It makes sense, really – do you really need to put the team name on jersey when it looks as distinctive as this? Nah.
The away jersey, on the other hand, is quite a departure for the Jaguares, in that it’s actually a unique and bespoke design – as stunning as they’ve been, Jaguares change designs of the last three years have effectively be palette-swaps of the home design.
This, however is something very different to the home design, but somehow even more barmy…
The one thing that isn’t different about this jersey is of course the colour – Jaguares’ away shirts are orange, of course – though this year’s shade seems a touch less vibrant and bright than previous seasons.
That’s perhaps a side-effect of the black-to-orange fade around the shoulders – it’s certainly a distinctive look, though we don’t totally love it. The same surely can’t be said for the tonal jaguar-print pattern across the chest however – yes, yes, yes.
You remember how we said that you didn’t need to put a name on the jersey when it’s this distinctive? Well clearly Nike’s designers didn’t agree when it came to the away shirt, as they’ve curiously only stuck the wordmark on the back of the collar here.
It looks fine, however, though quite reminiscent of an NBA/NFL jersey in its placing and style – something that we think could be said for the whole brand. It feels very ‘American’, compared to the definite latin flavour to the original branding.
That’s certainly not a bad thing, however – we think the new branding looks absolutely fantastic, and its paired with a pair of jerseys that are wonderfully eye-catching and unique.
What’s more, apparently three years of us, you and everyone else pleading with the UAR to make Jaguares jerseys available outside of Argentina has had an effect – these remarkable designs will apparently be available through various European retailers this year. Get ’em while they’re hot.
Rugby Shirt Watch 