Ireland rugby team to wear new PUMA jersey on November 15

Ireland rugby team to wear new PUMA jersey on November 15

By: Jeff James

Published: Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Ireland rugby team will wear the new PUMA Ireland jersey for the first time against Australia on November 15 at Croke Park.

The home shirt marks a return to a more traditional colour with a green (‘Power Green’) carefully selected to symbolise the country of Ireland, with its rich history and tradition.

The shirt features a revolutionary double layer construction. The inner layer is especially designed to lift moisture away from the skin to the outside of the garment where the outer layer facilitates a very rapid evaporation, ensuring the player is kept dry.

Seams and ‘pumaflex’ stretch panels are strategically positioned to improve the player’s freedom of movement, particularly around the torso where a rugby player’s body needs to twist and turn constantly during a game so that the player is not restricted or uncomfortable when reaching for the ball or diving in for a tackle.

An athletic fit ensures each garment is as comfortable as it can be for each player, supporting the muscles as best as possible to improve confidence and reduce fatigue, while also limiting any unnecessary fabric that can be grabbed by an opposing player.

The replica home shirt will go on sale at stores nationwide on October 8.

Tony Ward, managing director of PUMA UK, says: “Developing the team kit, replica kit and training equipment has been an extremely exciting process for the brand and we’re proud to have worked so closely with both the players and the coaching staff to achieve a really strong and exciting new range of Irish rugby kit.

“We wanted to produce a kit design that had an understated modern look and feel. ‘Power Green’ has a contemporary feel to it, but pays tribute to the great Irish teams of the past. The new kit incorporates PUMA’s latest technologies that have been used in the past for some of the most demanding sporting occasions - and has performed extraordinarily from the pit lane at Imola to the 100 metre finals in Beijing and Berlin.

"We have worked hard to bring all of that global and winning expertise to the playing fields of Ireland, with a new IRFU rugby collection that is built to be durable with performance enhancing cut lines that allows the players to move as freely as possible. We hope that everyone involved with the team will be proud to wear the new kits of the 2009 Grand Slam winners.”

Philip Browne, CEO of the Irish Rugby Football Union, adds: “Developing a range of kit is always a challenge, but I am delighted to say that the design detail, technology and choice of ‘Power Green’ has led to a very positive reaction from the players. We feel that this range not only provides the squad with the latest and necessary kit technology to compete at the highest level, but will also present itself as a the ideal option for players at all levels in Ireland. We are very excited about the kit and look forward to a successful relationship with our new partners."