As England’s Rugby World Cup Shirt was launched online this morning via fans’ social media outlets it was greeted with resounding positivity. In 74 days time the eyes of the world will be on England Rugby and it has been the job of Canterbury to ensure that Stuart Lancaster’s squad run out at Twickenham Stadium in a shirt that delivers the physical dexterity required to perform at the elite level and one that looks the part for players and fans alike.
The brief, over two years ago, from England Rugby to their Official Kit Provider, was to ‘make the best shirt even better’ and to ‘create a shirt befitting of the occasion’. As the host nation and one of the sides that are in contention to do well this Autumn the eyes of the world are on England Rugby. The classic design unveiled today hits the spot, for now was not the time for abstract features or garish colour ways. Any sportsman or woman will tell you that their kit is vital, psychologically there is something to be said for feeling the part and ultimately first class physical performance cannot be achieved with external distractions that come from ill fitting or uncomfortable attire. Naturally we all know that kit cannot replace physical attributes such as pace or power and it cannot replace raw talent however I think we all would agree that it is a vital cog in the overall performance wheel.
England's new Rugby World Cup shirt houses all of the modern technology you could desire from ‘ball deadening’ grip placement on the chest to ‘dynamic heat management’ properties for efficient cooling in heat and drying following moisture. The shirt has been through two hundred and twenty hours of testing both in a lab and on the pitch with players putting many iterations through their paces. I'll openly admit that all of the nuances and technicalities of the final shirt extend far beyond my areas of expertise however the fact that our squad are more than content with the finished article is proof that Canterbury have succeeded in their mission to make the 'best shirt better'.
On Friday the squad will leave for the next stage of their camp in Denver, Colorado, to date the focus has been solely on physical conditioning and in the words of many of the players; 'it has been brutal'. Thankfully in the US there will be some more contact time with the ball however conditioning will continue remain a hot topic and focus. England are aspiring to play an all court, up tempo game and a game that keeps the ball alive in play for a long as possible and you cannot do that without immense fitness.
On their return our squad will enjoy a short rest before ploughing into the QBE Internationals and that is when key selection decisions will be made. Time continues to fly by at a rate of knots and before we and the players know it 31 men will announced in Stuart Lancaster's final squad and we will see Canterbury's creation in full glory on a World Cup stage on Friday 18th September.
On their return our squad will enjoy a short rest before ploughing into the QBE Internationals and that is when key selection decisions will be made. Time continues to fly by at a rate of knots and before we and the players know it 31 men will announced in Stuart Lancaster's final squad and we will see Canterbury's creation in full glory on a World Cup stage on Friday 18th September.
