Rugby League shorts have improved greatly from their heavy cotton original design. If you look at athletics and the either very light, small, baggy shorts or lycra that they wear you can see how important unrestricted movement ove the hips is. The strong absorbancy of cotton Rugby League Shorts made playing in the rain a challenge so more water resistant materials needed to be use.

Today rugby league shorts are increasingly made of polyester and blends of other synthetic fabrics as they are much lighter and allow for free movement of the hips and legs meaning players can run faster and also don’t endure any extra fatigue from heavy restrictive shorts. Rugby League is tiring enough as it is! 

Today rugby league shorts are very similar to running shorts being very short and very light. Not very aesthetically pleasing if you haven’t been doing your squats and have skinny legs! There is still room for advertising on the shorts generally with logos placed on the back of each leg and sometimes the sides. Sponsors tend to prefer to place their logos on the shirts instead of the shorts however. 

Due to their short and revealing design many players chose to wear cycling shorts under their rugby league shorts. This is also to keep their thighs warm as in cold conditions you are more likely to pull a muscle if it is not warm.

Many a player would be happy to play in the leggings that are often worn at training if it were allowed but this would also make them a massive soft target on the pitch much like wearing flashy rugby boots does. Plus rugby league is a summer sport in the UK and is played in the warm southern hemisphere conditions so it looks like Rugby League Shorts are here to stay!

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