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British and Irish Lions unveil kit for Australia tour

The new Canterbury British and Irish Lions jersey is a darker shade of red, featuring a traditional grandad collar and unique jacquard pattern comprising symbols from all four unions. Photo: Inpho Photography

The British and Irish Lions and Canterbury have unveiled the jersey the tourists will wear on their trip to Australia next summer.

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Former Lions captain Sam Warburton consulted on the design and player requirements while online feedback from fans was also taken into account.

A direct consequence of the latter is the inclusion of a grandad collar, while the jersey is said to boast a deeper shade of red and a “classic jacquard pattern” that pays homage to the four unions that make up the famous touring team.

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Featuring Canterbury’s advanced Vapodri technology, the adult jersey is also embedded with a Near Field Communication tag, which will allow fans to tap into an “exclusive digital experience”.

Scanning the connected tag at the bottom right of the jersey will take fans to the Lions Clubhouse app, which was also launched on Wednesday and is described as a hub for insider content throughout the tour.

Canterbury’s relationship with the Lions dates back to the 1959 tour of New Zealand, when the company stepped in to provide the squad with new kit after their original strip had been spoiled in a previous match.

The Lions will wear their 2025 kit for the first time on Friday, June 20 next year when they take on Argentina at Aviva Stadium. They will then head to Australia where they are due to face the Wallabies in three Tests between July 19 and August 2.

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Luke Doddrell, Canterbury of New Zealand Global Brand Director, said: “At Canterbury, our commitment has always been to produce high-performance products that empower athletes to reach their full potential, and we are proud to have been doing that for over 120 years. From a player’s very first steps on the rugby field, to their ascent to the sport’s highest levels, we’ve been there, supporting every moment.

“Likewise, The British & Irish Lions represent the absolute pinnacle of that journey. They are defined by relentless strength, determination, and the pursuit of greatness. But what makes them so special lies even deeper: a unity that transcends generations, borders, politics, and class. The Lions bring people together and show us the extraordinary power of standing as one. We are incredibly proud to have created a jersey that reflects this spirit.”

Ben Calveley, British & Irish Lions CEO, said: “We’re incredibly proud and excited to unveil the new Lions jersey today alongside Canterbury, who have been a fantastic partner to The British & Irish Lions for many years dating back to the 1959 Tour of New Zealand. This will be the third Tour in a row for us to partner with them and the 2025 jersey launch represents another key milestone as we continue to build towards Australia.

British and Irish Lions 2025 kit
The new Canterbury British and Irish Lions jersey is a darker shade of red, featuring a traditional grandad collar and unique jacquard pattern comprising symbols from all four unions. Photo: Inpho Photography
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“The famous red jersey is a crucial part of the Lions DNA, and I have no doubt that the players and our supporters all around the world will enjoy wearing this jersey as well as the wider Lions lifestyle apparel.

“Our amazing fans are a core part of what makes a great Lions Tour, they were dearly missed in South Africa in 2021, but we will now be more connected with them than ever before thanks to this innovative new design and exciting digital experience. We look forward to seeing this jersey form the iconic Sea of Red next year across Australia, in Dublin, and in homes and clubs all over the UK and Ireland.”

Head coach Andy Farrell commented: “Excitement is really starting to build for next year and this jersey launch is only going to add to it. That goes for me, all rugby fans, and all those who are playing for places on that touring squad.

“I know how special the Lions jersey is to the players who are lucky enough to put it on and add to the years of history and prestige which it carries. It also holds a special place for the Lions fans around the world who can connect with us and be a part of our team by supporting us in that same red jersey. I’m sure they are going to love this new design and I look forward to witnessing the power of the Sea of Red in Australia once again.”

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Comments

2 Comments
J
JWH 14 days ago

How surprising; its red!

J
JJB 14 days ago

Looks cool

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JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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