Canterbury win back the Taranaki jersey but set the design back 20 years
August 23, 2010 11 CommentsThe Taranaki jersey was our pick for the most stylish from New Zealand’s domestic rugby competition in 2009.
Taranaki are a traditional type of team and so it was fitting that they wore jerseys made by Canterbury of New Zealand – the brand synonymous with rugby – at least up until the All Blacks crossed to Adidas in 1999 and everything went free market.
KooGa took over the jerseys for the Amber and Blacks (and Hawkes Bay) from 2008 and they did a good job with the classic amber and black hoops.
With the ‘away’ strip, they retained the hoops down the sides of the design, opting for black at the front and back for a slick finish, broken up with yellow trim.
Taranaki's 2009 Away playing strip
It suited the traditional, rural orientation of the area with just enough elements of coordinated design to make it special. It was somewhat understated and elegant – a fitting tribute.
In 2010, Canterbury of New Zealand won back the jersey supply and sent the design back 20 years
What they did
- Brought in a huge, crappy white collar
- Brought back white (‘yes your butt looks big in these’) shorts with yellow stripes!
- Provided absolutely zero styling and the shape is not even the modern fitting we have become used to and quite like from the typically well-built rugby player
Canterbury appear to have given Taranaki the first draft of a more refined look they gave the Wasps club from London who play in the English Premiership.
Theirs has the more subtle finishing that KooGa had become renown for.
- More fitting shape
- More styling around the collar with a diagonal black wedge coming from the left side to the corner of the outer hoop
- More effective branding with a white logo that coordinates with the team sponsor logos
- Black crotch and stripes down the sides of the shorts
London's Wasps on the left and the new 2010 Taranaki jersey on the right
Are we looking at another year of cookie-cut designs from the aging rugby brand?
Back to a 90s look for Taranaki
The white collar looked out of place back in the 90s – a throwback from the way rugby jerseys were made – the ‘just how it was’ era. The same era that gave us plain white shorts.
Cost of inflation?
Oh, and the price tag, $160.00 – someone is taking the piss!
Fans & Style, In the news
A great piece of un-informed journalism, Rather than reporting on some facts it would seem that you have reported your own keyboard!
As I understand it. TRFU who are celebrating their 125th yr this year wanted a retro styled kit that heralded from the 90′s
So it would appear that CCC seem to work with the unions they sponsor rather than dictating what they will wear, dont know that all apparel outfitter can say the same!
Personally i think “back to the future” aint so bad and you’ll see other unions going that way.
If you looked carefully you may have noticed the 125 year anniversary on the Naki logo.
From what I hear they wanted a “Traditional” Jersey in respect of this.
There’s a difference between a ‘retro styled kit’ and something that has been taken straight from the 80s/90s.
It’s not the 25 year anniversary.
Colidug, you seem to be implying that a 90s look is
a) ‘Retro’; and
b) Somehow a worthy stylistic representation of the history of the Taranaki Rugby Union
CCC ‘work with the unions they sponsor rather than dictate’
- Last year’s CCC jersey styling was used around the world – almost no difference. They simply applied colours and logos – boring!
KooGa have made selective modernisations to the classic hoops of Counties and Canterbury
“KooGa have made selective modernisations to the classic hoops of Counties and Canterbury”
Mate have a look at the designs CCC did for these teams last year – This years Kooga jersey for CRFU is virtually a copy of CCC’s design, and Kukris (not Kooga) Counties jersey is a copy of the one CCC did for them in 2008
mririnui, you’ll find that TRFU are celebrating their 125th yr not 25th!
your point on same jersey’s last maybe true, have you thought that maybe thats what those unions asked for?
In terms of the TRFU styling – The union which took to the fields in the 90′s in the same styled kit was the first offering – the new 2010 offering will be ‘retro’ as it has come round again!………making it retro.
Note that CCC did canterbury’s jersey last year and was a ‘modernisation’ on the 4″ hoop,(go have a look at it) so would seem that the KooGa offering is not so revolutionary.
Colidug,
That was my point – that the TRFU are celebrating their 125th year by using a jersey style from 25 years ago, pretty much ‘as-was’.
Why not use one from another era (and make stylistic improvements)?
‘Retro’ = exactly the same as last time = boring!
Re: Canterbury & Counties CCC jerseys from 2009 – average rather than memorable designs. Both much improved this year.
I’m not saying that KooGa’s design for Canterbury is in any way revolutionary. Quite the opposite – it has subtle modernisations of the classic red and black hoops.
Alternating solid coloured sleeves and sides blended with the hoops in from and back.
Nakihead,
Apologies. Kukri do have Counties this year – an improvement on last years’ design in my opinion.
The sleeves and neck are quite different to last year’s CCC designs.
I’ll elaborate on the stylistic differences in another post
again (yawn!), maybe try asking the union what they want, after all they will be the customer! it’s not up to mere mortals like you or I………… either way i have no issue with CCC gear. They seem to have continually supported rugby in NZ for longer than these brands have been in existence….combined!
I will be interested to see how long the likes of Kukri and KooGa last!
Anyway – go the Warriors! (who also seem to like CCC!!)
Well mririnui, like you say it’s just your opinion. At the end of the day yours and mine means squat. Sales to the fans is what talks.
This year Kukri havent even got their Counties replica in the market yet so thats how good they are.
Colidug, The Union aren’t the consumer – paying rugby fans are the consumer.
The Union aren’t likely to be paying for the jersey but they are asking the fans to part with $160 for the privilege. I hope they all have real 90s jerseys so they don’t need to buy one of the ‘new’ ones.
CCC have supported NZ Rugby and done a good job with the Warriors brand but this is poor.
Nakihead,
‘Sales to the fans’?
‘Delivering to brief’?
How about ‘something worthy of the Taranaki Rugby Brand’?
If a design/clothing company is given a brief for a ‘retro-look’ jersey to celebrate the 125 year anniversary of the Union and they come back with an actual jersey from the 90s rather than something that is the result of a creative process, then they should be dismissed!
‘Kukri don’t have their jersey on the market’ – that’s how their design should be judged?
Taranaki Rugby is built on tradition. Standard Amber and Black hoops obviously, I like the small white collar. White shorts yes. And something that is a must is a black patch under the white numbers on back of jersey. A quick look back through history will show that when this is done numbers are much easier to read.