Canterbury, the leading rugby kit provider and Pentland Brands company, has signed Wales and Ospreys star Justin Tipuric as a new brand ambassador.

The 29-year-old openside flanker played a crucial role in Wales’ recent Grand Slam Six Nations success, playing every minute of their five games and winning 97% of his tackles to give the team a stellar defence record in the tournament.

Having been part of two successful British & Irish Lions tours, Justin’s experience will be invaluable in working with Canterbury and its product team to help design products for its head-to-toe apparel.

Known for wearing a distinctive blue headguard for club and country, Justin will wear Canterbury’s new Reinforcer Headguard, ahead of a huge autumn for Wales as they head out to Japan for the Rugby World Cup.

Tipuric described the partnership with Canterbury as a ‘natural fit’.

“I grew up as a young child wearing Canterbury, so I have a really strong connection with the brand,” he said. “Through their work with the British & Irish Lions and my region, Ospreys, I’ve seen first-hand the quality of the products they produce, so it was a natural fit for me.

“I’m looking forward to wearing more of their range both on and off the field, but also being a part of the process in the future and helping to create products that both the professionals and the grass roots players and fans alike will enjoy.”

Simon Rowe, Head of Sports Marketing at Canterbury said: “Justin has been one of the standout performers in this year’s Six Nations and, with his blue headguard, he’s very distinctive. As the world’s leading rugby brand, we want to associate with the best and when we heard that he had always been a Canterbury fan, we knew that the fit would be perfect.

“We share his passion for rugby and look forward to working closely together, tapping into his considerable experience to develop new and innovative products for payers at all levels of the game.”