Canterbury of New Zealand - the official jersey sponsor for Irish rugby - have allayed a long standing feeling of inequality by designing the same gear for both male and female senior international teams.
The Ireland women's rugby jersey will be available to purchase in October and to preorder from August 20th on elverys.ie.
Previously, the women’s jersey was the same design as male underage shirts, with “women” stitched under the crest. The other Six Nations teams did not highlight gender simply because they wore the same jerseys as their male counterparts.
“The women’s and men’s jerseys share the same brand new design worked on for the IRFU,” said a Canterbury NZ statement. “This launch is part of a wider push on women’s products as fans can also expect to see an expanded women’s team training range to be available.”
Leinster sponsor Adidas have supplied the same design for both male and female teams since 2018, which is available to purchase from Lifestyle Sports, with a women’s fit also available.
The IRFU stated last month that Canterbury, in contrast to Adidas, only produces the male Ireland jersey for public sale due to “retailer demand, alongside trends in the sector and in the market place.”
This policy has now been altered.
“We are delighted that Canterbury will make a range of women’s kit available,” said IRFU commercial director Padraig Power. “This is an important step forward for the visibility of the female game and gives supporters the opportunity to proudly wear the teams’ jersey.”
