As the nation prepares to unite behind the rose in this special year for rugby, Canterbury and England Rugby today launched their new Rugby World Cup shirt alongside players and supporters at Twickenham.
Earlier this morning, Canterbury and England Rugby put the unveiling of the innovative England shirt in the hands of their most committed supporters, with more than 3,600 fans publishing the exclusive first image of the new shirt across their Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr feeds at 8.00am.
England captain Chris Robshaw was then joined by his teammates to officially reveal the team kit to the assembled media at Twickenham Stadium, before meeting with a number of core fans.
The new shirt features a range of innovations that have been developed by Canterbury and England Rugby across more than 220 hours of testing and over 250,000 miles of travel to improve both the look, feel and performance of the kit.
The rose symbolises the connection between the fans and the players and between former internationals who have worn the shirt and those who wear it now. In a striking innovative twist the rose has been 3D injection moulded, developed through rapid prototyping technology to standout in a way that merits the significance of the rose for players and fans alike. The shirt also features contoured ‘ball deadening’ grip placement to complement the players’ physique.
On the pitch, players will benefit from a range of innovations, including reduced fabrication weight, minimising moisture absorption for Canterbury’s most lightweight kit ever. The super-enhanced fit technology, developed through position-specific 3D body-mapping supports the varied physiques of the modern rugby player. The shirt also includes adaptive fabrication, with dynamic heat management properties ensuring a constant temperature is maintained in any climate to drive the ultimate performance.
Canterbury’s traditional yet innovative loop collar design has been integrated within the shirt, having featured on Canterbury sports apparel since 1949. The 360° loop bound neckline has evolved to withstand every physicality of the game, providing resistance to challenges with enhanced elasticity and shape retention, resulting in Canterbury’s toughest collar to date.
Speaking about the new shirt at the Twickenham Stadium launch, England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster said:
“Every player in the squad takes enormous pride in pulling on the England shirt. As a group, we talk about the unbreakable bond of the rose between former, current and future players and for this symbol to be emphasised in 3D form is a key feature. We are grateful for the support of the fans and in the year of a home World Cup the power of the nation behind us can be the difference. It is great that it was the supporters who launched the shirt and that they have been central to the day.”
A specially selected group of England supporters were invited to be in attendance at the shirt unveil as part of Canterbury’s ‘Launched by the Loyal’ campaign, rewarding those that had demonstrated their commitment to the rose by signing up to pre-order their new England Rugby World Cup shirt before the design had been revealed.
The ground-breaking shirt launch forms part of Canterbury’s Committed to the Rose campaign which brings to life the brand’s commitment to the game in this special Rugby World Cup year.
Canterbury CEO, Chris Stephenson, said:
“We’re proud to have developed a shirt that benefits both the players who are entering the biggest rugby tournament of their lives and the fans across the country that will be following every moment of the action. Bringing both players and fans together at Twickenham was the perfect way to reward their shared commitment to the rose and we now look forward to what will be a fantastic Rugby World Cup”.
The new England Rugby World Cup shirt from Canterbury is available now for pre-sale, and in stores from Friday 17th July, as well as at Canterbury.com and EnglandRugbyStore.com
