We may have to wait a week until we see England’s brand new Umbro kit for the first time, but we dan now see what England’s off-field Umbro gear will look like, courtesy of the most unlikely source – England head coach Eddie Jones.
The Australian has given a number of newspaper interviews this week – namely to The Guardian and Times – and in the accompanying photographs, Jones can be clearly seen wearing a half-zip England training top sporting the Umbro logo.
The top itself is rather restrained – with two slightly different shades of England’s midnight blue third colour splitting the top and bottom of what is a very plain design (it’s a possibility that this difference in shade is a result of different materials being used – one looks matte and vaguely water-resistant, while the other more shiny.
And that is perhaps the most surprising thing – when we saw Bristol’s new training gear last week, the most striking thing was that wild 90s-inspired pattern, and this feels a bit… well… dull by comparison.
But perhaps that’s the point – England’s off-field wear is big business with older fans who might not be comfortable wearing a replica shirt, especially with the modern preference for a tight fit. As a result, you don’t want to alienate those older fans by only offering them something that’s loud and garish that they’d feel equally uncomfortable in.
That said, we do hope that this is just one aspect of a larger and more interesting range – it’s understandable to have simple, classic looks for fans of a certain generation, but we’re holding out hope that Umbro can still rejuvenate the whole England line with some fresh and interesting gear.
Read Eddie Jones’ interviews with The Guardian and The Times here.
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