While last year’s Autumn Nations Cup might not have set the neutrals pulses racing, the 2021 Autumn Nations Series looks set to get things back on track with what we expect from the November internationals – the best of the Southern Hemisphere taking on the best of the North, with some fun clashes against plucky tier 2 opponents thrown into the mix.
Traditionally this is also the time of year when we get a first look at most of the new test kits for the 2021/22 season, with both Northern and Southern Hemisphere teams trotting out new threads in time for Christmas, with plenty of teams donning their change kits even when they don’t necessarily ‘need’ to.
It all adds up to making the Autumn Internationals the most fun and interesting time of year for new test kits, so here’s what every men’s team taking part will be wearing this November.
Argentina Rugby Los Pumas 2020/21 jerseys
Argentina are in the process of running down their long-term deal with Nike, so it’s no surprise that, like many Southern Hemisphere teams, there were no new kits this season. Not that anyone’s going to mind, as the home shirt, broadly unchanged since 2019, is probably the single most beautiful jersey in test rugby, while the away shirt is pretty cool as well.
Australia Wallabies rugby 2021/22 jerseys
Weirdly, the Wallabies technically haven’t changed their jerseys since the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and yet they look radically different. Part of that is the new main sponsor, Cadbury, which replaced Qantas on the front of both the home and First Nations shirts earlier this year. But the most significant change is on the home shirt – while the basic design template is the same as the jersey worn at RWC2019, in Rugby Australia opted to change the colour of the jersey to a deeper and more orangey shade of gold, in line with the shades that the Wallabies wore in the early 90s.
England Rugby 2021/22 jerseys
England’s second year of Umbro is a little more interesting than their first with the large blue side panel on the home shirt throwing it back to 2003, while the blue accents are certainly going to raise eyebrows. The change shirt is a red and blue affair, the first time they’ve gone red since the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
France Rugby 2021/22 jerseys
Les Bleus are really upping the Tricolore quotient on their 2021/22 jerseys, with a striking large band of red, white and blue that runs from the bottom of the shorts all the way up over the shoulder. The effect is the same on both the home and change designs, and anyone calling it a ‘Tricolore snail trail’ owes us 50p in royalties. As with all of these things, the shorts and shirt never line up properly so it always looks wrong, but at least it’s different?
Fiji Rugby 2021/22 jerseys
The Flying Fijians tie-up with Nike is one of the most interesting and exciting partnerships in our sport, and their first 15s jersey certainly does not disappoint – check out the striking asymmetrical hooped pattern across the body and the Masi art pattern on the sleeves. There’s also a change shirt that’s identical but in black, but don’t expect to see that this Autumn.
Georgia Rugby 2021/22 jerseys
The Lelos will take on France and Fiji this Autumn rocking the same jerseys they wore for their ill-fated trip to South Africa ahead of the Lions tour. It’s a nice, simple design with a cross pattern on the sleeve and simple round-neck collar. The change shirt is a simple white/maroon palette swap.
Italy Rugby 2021/22 jerseys
Italy are keeping things plain and simple for their 2021/22 look, with classic blue and white home and away jerseys and very little extra ornamentation or adornment beyond some white/blue tape on the cuffs.
Ireland Rugby 2021/22 jerseys
A more restrained take on the famous green jersey for Canterbury this year compared to 2019/20’s wild black and green patterned number. There’s still a bit of modern sublimation on the sleeves of course, and the away shirt’s purple and black look is certainly going to tick the love or loathe box.
Japan Rugby 2021/22 jerseys
The Brave Blossoms are another team that hasn’t changed their look since RWC2019, and who can really blame them? The modernist take on the classic red and white hoops earned a special place in the country’s history after their historically successful performance as hosts, and why not keep that good vibe going for as long as possible?
New Zealand All Blacks rugby 2021/22 jerseys
The All Blacks revealed their first new jersey since the World Cup earlier this summer, and as usual it is… well… all black. The white collar has gone in favour of a black open design with a pinstripe of white in it, and look out for the flipped white/black alternate shirt to make an appearance against France or Italy – the ABs often use one of these fixtures to give the little-used design a run-out.
Scotland rugby 2021/22 jerseys
Like all Macron designs this year, the Scotland 2021/22 rugby jerseys are made of 100% recycled plastic bottles. The simple collar and two-tone purple accents on the sleeves of these designs are all that really can draw the interest from another very clean and simple design this season.
South Africa Springboks rugby 2021/22 jerseys
Like the Wallabies, ASICS have kept the Boks in the same jersey that they wore to life the Rugby World Cup (though they did have a new primary jersey created just for the Lions series). But the biggest jersey news coming out of the Boks camp ahead of this Autumn Nations Series is the truly wild ‘collab’ jersey, which was created by ‘afro-futuristic’ high fashion designer Mzukisi Mbane. The shirt has not been well received, but the Boks have committed to wearing it for one test match this Autumn, likely against Scotland.
UPDATE: The Boks will no longer wear the ‘Collab’ jersey this autumn.
Tonga Rugby 2021/22 jerseys
Poor Tonga have been playing from behind the eight-ball for much of this season with huge issues securing player releases in order to fulfil their fixtures. They did at least debut this rather fetching new jersey, made by French brand Force XV, which has a very cool multi-coloured, almost nautical pattern down the ribcage and a nice sublimated pattern on the body.
Wales Rugby 2021/22 jerseys
Wales are opting for a modern jersey for 2021/22, with a pinstriped chevron motif on the front, and subtle low-profile collar. The away shirt is more bold, with the black geometric pattern on the body being accented with dark green on the collar, sleeves and shorts.
Uruguay Rugby 2021/22 jerseys
Los Teros have had the same shirt for a while now, but it’s very lovely. Created by South American brand Flash, it has a sublimated Sun Of May on the sleeves, and an interesting three-part collar of yellow, dark blue and white. It’ll be what the RWC2023 qualifiers will wear when they take on Italy this November.
Rugby Shirt Watch 
Curiously you wrote “Tricolore” referring to France flag on the new shirt, while in fact “Tricolore” is an italian word 😀
‘Tricolore’ is also French! 😉
I know that Japan mostly changes its jerseys only from any World Cup, while i remember that Tonga wore a different jersey during its 2021 New Zealand tour in July (produced by the Auckland-based and Tongan-owned Siomai Print).