Reinforced where the tackle lands
Rugby: the heaviest jersey we make, because the collar gets pulled
Football kit is built to be hit. Rugby kit is built to be held. A rugby jersey is grabbed by the collar, the sleeve and the back for eighty minutes, and it has to survive that without a seam giving, which is why it is the heaviest and most reinforced jersey in the factory.
It also carries a tradition — the hooped or quartered jersey with a contrast collar — that a modern sublimated knit has to reproduce without looking like a print of a jersey.
Weight, and where it goes
A rugby jersey knit is roughly twice the weight of a soccer jersey knit. Some of that is the whole body; most of it is concentrated where the garment is grabbed. The collar is a separate heavy rib with a reinforced placket behind it. The shoulders and the upper back carry a second layer or a heavier panel. The side seams are twin-stitched.
The chest panel is the other rugby-specific feature. A grip-textured panel — a raised silicone or rubberised print — across the chest and forearms is what forwards ask for, because it helps hold the ball in wet conditions. It is applied after sublimation and it is the one surface print on the jersey, because it has to be on the surface to grip.
The reason for all this weight is the reason we specify by failure point rather than by fabric name, which is the argument our guide to choosing fabric by failure point makes across the whole range.
What is in a rugby kit
- Game jersey
- Heavy knit, reinforced collar and shoulders, grip panel optional. Short or long sleeve with a ribbed cuff.
- Polo
- The same collar and placket on a pique knit half the weight — the club shirt, not the match shirt.
- Women’s jersey
- Patterned on a women’s block. Same weight, same reinforcement, a different shoulder and body.
- Shorts
- Heavy twill or knit with a gusseted crotch and a drawcord. The garment that is pulled hardest in a maul.
- Socks
- Knitted, with the hoop or turnover in the club colours, matched to the jersey dye batch.
- Retro layouts
- Hoops, quarters and a contrast collar reproduced in sublimation, with the stripe widths taken from the original jersey where a club has one.
Hoops that meet at the seam
A hooped rugby jersey is the classic look and the classic failure. Printed as a flat panel and then sewn, the hoops on the front and the back miss each other at the side seam by a stripe width, and every photograph shows it.
We cut hooped panels to a registration mark so the stripes align at the seam, front to back and body to sleeve. It is the same care as a pinstripe on a baseball jersey and it is what separates a club jersey from a replica.
Before you order
Decide the weight
A club that plays in summer sevens and winter fifteens usually wants two weights of the same jersey. Say so; it does not change the design work.
Grip panel or not
Forwards want it, backs often do not. Both can come from one order at one price with the panel as an option per jersey.
Sleeve length per player
Short and long sleeve from the same run are normal in rugby. List it per player on the roster.
Numbers by position
Rugby numbers follow position, so a squad of thirty needs duplicates. Send the count per number rather than a list of names.
What we make for rugby, and what it costs
Prices are per piece and include the design work. Every garment has a minimum of 10 pieces; sizes can be mixed within it. A garment marked quoted is priced per order, because its cut and design coverage change the work.
| Garment | What it is | Per piece | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Rugby Jerseys | Heavy-knit sublimated jersey with a reinforced collar and a grip-textured chest panel. | quoted | 10 pcs |
| Rugby Polos | The off-field version — the same collar and placket on a lighter pique knit, in club colours. | quoted | 10 pcs |
| Women's Rugby Shirts | Patterned on a women’s block, not a graded men’s one, with the same reinforcement. | quoted | 10 pcs |
| Long Sleeve Rugby Shirts | Full sleeve with a ribbed cuff, for cold-weather fixtures and training. | quoted | 10 pcs |
| Retro & Vintage Rugby Jerseys | Hooped and quartered layouts with a white cotton-look collar, reproduced in modern polyester. | quoted | 10 pcs |
| Rugby Uniforms (jersey, shorts, socks) | The three pieces made as one set from one dye batch. | quoted | 10 pcs |
| Rugby Shorts | Heavy twill or knit shorts with a reinforced crotch gusset and a drawcord waist. | quoted | 10 pcs |
Rugby questions
How heavy is a rugby jersey compared with a soccer jersey?
Roughly twice the fabric weight, with the extra concentrated at the collar, shoulders and seams. It is the heaviest jersey we make.
Can we have a grip panel on the chest?
Yes. It is a raised rubberised print applied after sublimation, on the chest and forearms, and it can be specified per jersey within one order.
Do you make women’s rugby jerseys?
Yes, on a women’s block rather than a graded men’s pattern. The reinforcement and weight are the same.
Will the hoops line up at the seams?
Yes. Hooped panels are cut to registration marks so the stripes meet front to back and body to sleeve.
Can we mix short and long sleeves?
Yes, in one order at one price. List the sleeve per player.
What is the minimum?
Ten pieces of one garment. A club ordering ten jerseys and ten shorts meets it twice; a club ordering six of each does not.
Do you do rugby socks?
Yes, knitted with the club hoop or turnover, and matched to the jersey dye batch when ordered together.
How is a rugby kit priced?
Per order. Send the garments, the quantities, the sleeve mix and whether you want a grip panel, and a written price comes back the same working day.
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