In What Ways Has The Rugby Shirt Evolved Over Time?

Rugby shirts have become one of the most well-known garments out of all sports. Its classic look of a buttoned opening and collar hasn’t changed much since the games establishment in the early 19th century and rugby has very much stayed within tradition. However innovation over time has seen some subtle tweaks made to rugby shirts that have helped performance and add to the commercial appeal of rugby on the whole (be it Rugby League or Rugby Union) and some of these are explored below: The Design Let’s begin with the design. The basic look of the rugby shirt has already been explored however over time the establishment of rugby league has seen two very different types of shirt. Rugby League shirts adopt a much more extravagant design making use of a mix of colours that would be out of place in association football,Coach Diaper Bags traditional rugby league shirts also have a “V” pattern below the neckline. Rugby Union shirts on the other hand have for many years consisted of horizontal stripes which alternate in colour.
 This “hoop” pattern is what many people identify rugby shirts with today and has become a fashionable piece of clothing used by many top brands. Advancements in the designing of the rugby shirt has seen the collar shrink so that it clings more to the neck. The advancements in material (explained next) have allowed for this and the change has been made to prevent players from grabbing the collar when in a tackle situation. Although this move is actually illegal, foul play like this can ruin any advantage gained for a team and so was a change that has been welcomed by players. The Material Coach Diaper Bags Outlet This is an area where rugby shirts have changed quite a bit over the years. Traditionally Rugby shirts were made form cotton. Like all sports cotton is a popular choice of material to use as it is easy to work with, is easy to maintain, is cheap to produce, and for performance purposes it is relatively light therefore providing no restrictions to the players. Modern day shirts however make use of synthetic materials and so it is more common for shirts to contain a mix of cotton and polyester. Polyester is a much slicker material which makes it difficult to grab onto.
 The material also absorbs less moisture than cotton which prevents extra weight being attached to the shirt which again can affect performance. Another benefit of polyester is that it allows the shirts to cling to the body, once again ridding any areas where opponents can grab onto – a common drawback of pure cotton shirts. Coach Baby Bags As pure polyester shirts are indeed clingier and also slightly more expensive to produce, it is more common for replica shirts to be sold in pure cotton or a polyester/cotton mix. So that wraps up a quick look into how the rugby shirt has evolved over time and it’s pretty clear that it hasn’t changed much. Tradition is what makes rugby such a fantastic sport and it is good to see that the clothing goes along with this as well.