These days the mantra on the lips of many is that New Zealand’s recent success at the IRB Rugby World Cup is being attributed to their uniform and general gear. That’s right! To bite off words from Richie MacCaw, ‘You are putting on something bigger than yourself’. With that in mind one can understand why some teams emerge much stronger and more competitive than others on a level playing field. Putting much thought into the overall design, fit and purpose driven material goes a long way into ensuring that your skill will not be the only thing that drives the performance of your team.
Choice of material
Not only is it important for comfort and good fit to have a good quality uniform, but for reasons of durability it is a smart move. These days the natural choice amongst shoppers are the synthetic, polyester materials that have flooded the market. An alternative –and a wise one too- is cotton. Cotton is stronger and more dependable than synthetic derivatives. No one faced with the hard choice between durability and cost makes a decision to sacrifice the former for the latter, because at the end of the day we all want to reduce the number of visits to the clothing store, no matter the cost. There is no point in buying into the hype for the synthetic when it costs you more in the long run, as rapid deterioration in quality means more costly visits to your designer.
Comfort Is King
A ‘one size fits all’ approach hardly has any benefit for the team as a whole, because when uniforms are chosen without due consideration to individual waist and shoulder sizes, expect below average performances. This is because if one is uncomfortable tackles will not be made with confidence, runs will be short lived and panic will surely cause unforced errors during the run of play. Take for instance indigestion or overeating. To expect a forceful and confident display of rugby from players who are wearing tight fitting or loose and flabby uniforms is to expect the impossible.
The best rugby uniforms are made from durable, comfortable and perfect fit designs. Not only that, such apparel must be selected with the fans in mind. Making a choice that establishes a long tradition and attracts supporters is also important when choosing a perfect design.
Be sure to watch the documentary The Making of Black to catch a glimpse of what it means to design rugby uniforms that aren’t just clueless combinations of cloth.
