New Ireland jersey launched for Rugby World Cup, but away kit gets our vote

Patrick McCarry

The 2003 World Cup ensemble still has our hearts, though.

We had the pleasure of seeing what the Ireland jersey for the World Cup looks like on the lads that will be filling it out, and it held up better than that Milan catwalk unveiling, back in June.

In news that will stun few of you, these new jerseys look class on the players they are designed for. Ross Byrne wears it well, but it looks snug as a bug on Peter O’Mahony and Iain Henderson. As for the rest of us, beauty will be in the eye of the one beholding ourselves in the shop mirror.

Byrne, Henderson and O’Mahony flew the flag for Ireland’s World Cup training squad, and three of the four provinces, when we paid a visit to the IRFU High Performance Centre, on Tuesday, for a sneak peak and a chat with the lads. Mack Hansen, as a Canterbury ambassador, made the Connacht voices heard by chiming, “We’ve been training hard and we can’t wait to get back out onto the field in this new Canterbury jersey, with thousands of Irish fans behind us.”

During our sit-down with Ross Byrne, we raised the point that Hansen and James Lowe had brought a real laid-back flavour to the Irish backline. Byrne found the thought of lumping the two wingers in together amusing, adding another layer to the Hansen mystique that has already enamoured Johnny Sexton, Caelan Doris, Andy Farrell and more. Simply put, he was cut from an entirely different cloth.

That brings us back nicely to the jersey itself. Well, it still does not come close to our favourite ever Ireland World Cup jersey – that 2003 piece of kit perfection – but it is another solid effort. We are sold on just about everything, bar the collar.

Here are the boys, decked out in the home kit, happy out:

Iain Henderson, Peter O’Mahony and Ross Byrne pictured at the launch of Canterbury’s Ireland World Cup Jersey, which will be worn by the Irish team in France this autumn. The jerseys are on sale now at Canterbury.com, and via Intersports Elverys, in store and on Elverys.ie.

Our clear winner, though, is that away kit that has a bit more pop about it:

Ireland jersey launch coincides with Johnny Sexton hearing

Though we spoke with the players on Tuesday, the EPCR hearing into misconduct charges against Ireland captain Johnny Sexton is happening today [Thursday, July 13], so the fate of their skipper came up in a few questions.

While Iain Henderson mused that ‘it’s probably been a huge stress for Johnny’ while Ross Byrne focused on the 38-year-old’s wealth of leadership and experience and insisted the looming hearing had not affected how the captain had interacted with coaches and teammates.

The Ireland World Cup jersey will get its’ time in the sun, before Canterbury officially rolls out the rest of the training and leisure-wear range. Here is that jersey blurb, for those that love kit jargon:

‘Boasting VaopDri+ adaptive and quick-drying technology, a bonded, elastic and flat-locked collar for strength, laser-cut holes for breathability, silicone logos and curved form for comfort and made from 100% recycled polyester, the jersey is the most technologically advanced ever produced by Canterbury.

‘The jersey is launched alongside Canterbury’s ‘We Go Together’ campaign, which calls on Irish fans around the world to unite in support of the Ireland team during the tournament.’