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Fans outraged as England release new Rugby World Cup 2023 kit with shirts priced at £125
Plus: We rank every kit England have worn in the 10 Rugby World Cups so far
Rugby supporters have expressed outrage at the price of England’s new kit for the Rugby World Cup later this year, with adults’ replica shirts priced at £125 and juniors’ shirts costing £95.
Replica supporters shirts, including a long-sleeve option with a collar, will cost fans £85, leading to criticism from fans who described the pricing of a jersey as “bonkers”, resembling “a supermarket supporters kit for a tenner”, that the “prices are theft” and that £95 for a junior replica jersey was “absolute madness”.
Another supporter suggested that not buying the latest kit would be “an easy way to save £125”, with others highlighting the scale of the price hike from the £100 shirts for the 32019 Rugby World Cup given the current cost of living crisis. Others lightheartedly suggested that paying for the shirt could be done through instalments until the start of the 2024 Six Nations.
The kits are Umbro’s first for England at a World Cup, having replaced Canterbury as the Rugby Football Union’s chosen kit sponsor back in 2020.
Telegraph Sport understands that England will wear their alternative blue strip in their pool matches against Argentina and Japan at the Rugby World Cup.
Both kits will be seen for the first time in August when England begin their warm-up fixtures for the tournament, with the alternative kit to be used when England take on Fiji in their final warm-up fixture at Twickenham.
Separate kits for the Red Roses women’s team have also been released and will be worn by the World Cup runners-up for the first time in September when England face Canada at Sandy Park and later in the year during the inaugural WXV competition in New Zealand.
The new England men’s home strip is almost completely white, aside from a row of vertical, light blue dashes across the middle of the kit.
The same dashes appear in red on the alternative strip, which features more of what Umbro describes as “contoured anatomical knit panelling”.
Umbro added that the home shirt “emphasises muscular biomechanics, while the rich navy alternate shirt provides a regal aesthetic”.
The Red Roses’ kits arrive without the same dashes, replaced by a splash of red on each side which according to Umbro is “a bold and striking graphic born from the DNA of the team and derived from the ‘thorns’ protecting the rose – angular, aggressive, and powerful”.
Red Roses prop Sarah Bern commented: “Having a kit that we feel confident in is key to putting in our best performances on and off the pitch. We’re looking forward to seeing fans cheer us on wearing our bespoke Red Roses kit this year, as we build towards our home tournament in 2025.”
Red Roses prop Sarah Bern commented: “Having a kit that we feel confident in is key to putting in our best performances on and off the pitch. We’re looking forward to seeing fans cheer us on wearing our bespoke Red Roses kit this year, as we build towards our home tournament in 2025.”
England’s men’s Rugby World Cup kits, ranked
By Ben Coles
This feels like an opportune moment to revisit England’s previous kits from Rugby World Cups past to see where the modern offering slots in in this ranking from worst to best, doesn’t it? Only away shirts which England actually ended up wearing at the tournament have been included below (which means you don’t have to see 2007 red number again, you’re welcome).
10th: France 2007
Imagine if England had won and images of this had been plastered everywhere? Think we can all say now that it really wasn’t good at all. There’s adding a bit of colour and then there’s this wild swoosh, like a terrifying wave of red paint engulfing the entire thing. Wild socks as well (navy dispensed with). Easily earns its spot at the bottom.
9th: England 2015
Fairly haunted these kits, aren’t they. Really dislike that red and maroon alternative strip which was used in the opening game against Fiji. Hope you didn’t miss that “in a striking innovative twist the rose has been 3D injection moulded”, although you can’t miss the v-shaped “contoured ‘ball deadening’ grip placement”. Navy socks back at least but best forgotten (much like England’s campaign).
8th: New Zealand 2011
Perhaps haunted by 2007, this is a bit more reserved, and the birth if I remember correctly of proper kit launch jargon – “elastic neckline to ensure a snug fit, with a silicone grip to keep it tight at the bottom”, the release tells you. It was also the first time England went with a completely white kit, which knocks it down a peg or two. And as you can imagine, the all-black alternative strip went down really well before attending a Rugby World Cup in *checks notes* New Zealand. Still, not terrible.
7th: France 2023
Need to see the shorts and socks for a more definitive verdict but immediately very unsure about the vertical dash texture across the middle. Panelling on the away kit has vibes of belonging to Ironman’s cheaper mate, but it will do. A lot of white on that home shirt with not much invention for a very steep price (£125). Middle of the pack fodder, isn’t it.
6th: Australia 2003
If you’re going to go a bit modern after ushering in the millennium then this is probably a safeish way to go about it, with those big red panels under the arms. It does mark the death of the collar, and worn by some front-rowers it certainly looked, ummm, a bit too snug. You will have seen it a thousand times by now with Martin Johnson lifting the trophy without really paying attention to the kit, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
5th: New Zealand and Australia 1987
Wade Dooley and Mike Harrison in action here, with a kit which at the time was admirably no-nonsense. Big collars, big rose, navy socks – it’s hard to pick many bones with a classic. The best? No, but it’s vintage.
4th: Wales 1999
The home shirt is good, I guess, with a simple approach and ditching any sign of navy. This is from the Cellnet era but no big red bands on the sleeve, and it is worse off as a result. It’s the away number here, worn by Jonny Wilkinson against Fiji, which should have your attention. That design could honestly be reused over 20 years later and I don’t think anyone would argue. Excellent, and the best alternative strip England have used.
3rd: Japan, 2019
Had almost forgotten the 2019 kits – it’s been a weird four years I think we can all agree – but these were good! Technology was a big deal with these kits given the humidity in Japan, hence “VapoDri+ technology”, and I never quite understood why you only had a bit of red on one side of the collar but not the other. Inoffensive colour scheme for the alternative kit as well which looks smarter than you may remember. There have certainly been worse.
2nd: Great Britain, Ireland and France 1991
Do not adjust your set, that is indeed a dash of colour you’re seeing. Four stripes down the right sleeve as well but not the left because, well, it was the early 1990s and even you can’t remember why. The blue cuffs (largely rolled up here) are a nice touch. Trying to be lively isn’t it, this kit, but in unusual ways. Which makes it... good?
1st: South Africa, 1995
Oh, 1995. You really are quite a pleasant sight aren’t you. No thin stripes here, just big colours on the sleeves (which give it a military vibe for some reason), a big navy colour, the addition of numbers to the shorts (which you wouldn’t get now). Yes it’s billowy and likely to be atrocious for your aerodynamic performance. But, look at it. Majestic.