Opponents of the mighty All Blacks will find it more difficult than ever to steal the ball from them at the rugby World Cup later this year thanks to the development of a new "sticky shirt".

During the week, adidas revealed a revolutionary All Black kit with so-called gripper panels across the chest of the shirts aimed at making it harder for players to drop a wet and slippery ball. The body-hugging design should also make it harder for opponents to hold on to. Made from a lightweight fabric, the shirt is entirely black with a half collar replacing the full, white collar. All Black captain Taine Randell says he has found the new jersey a lot lighter and more comfortable. But is all this legal?

"There's nothing to say you can't have them," according to New Zealand Rugby Football Union chairman Rob Fisher. "We've been smart enough to check the regulations and we don't have any problems there." As well as that, adidas New Zealand's managing director Craig Lawson said the new technology would not be made available to the three other teams the firm sponsored - Argentina, Western Samoa and the United States - until after the World Cup.