Ever since it was announced that England would be switching to Umbro kits next season, the rugby world has been awash with speculation and rumour as to what it might actually look like – not least since we leaked the first ever picture of England players in Umbro stash.
We might have to wait a little while to see how England will look in Umbro, but in the meantime we have a hint at just how wild things are going to get in the shape of Bristol’s new training kit – the rising Bears having become Umbro’s first rugby club shortly after the England announcement was made – and the results are WILD.
Pulling all the elements of Bears stash together is this striking triangular pattern that has mega Spaceship Earth and Disney’s Epcot Center vibes – it’s both wonderfully 90s and retro, yet extremely outside the box.
You might also have noticed that triangles were a big element of the pattern on the England training/testing jerseys we saw Sam Underhill and Tom Curry sport in our leaked pic, so clearly there’s a big theme there.
While we’re sure the Bears and England will not have overtly samey designs given the high-profile nature of both teams, what these Bristol kits do show us is the style that they’re going for, and it’s something altogether different from what we’ve seen elsewhere in rugby.
Not overtly modern in the way that Adidas and Canterbury have leaned in recent years, nor as 70s/80s worshipping as Macron has shown itself to be this season, instead we’re looking at kits that hit that sweet spot of current fashion trends – 90s sportswear, and 90s football kits in particular.
Bold big geometric patterns, bright colours, chunky trainers with massive heels… Umbro’s vision for rugby is clear, and while we’re sure not everyone is going to like it, it’s definitely going to shake up the game.
Rugby Shirt Watch 