Rugby League Shirts, Rugby League Jerseys & Rugby League Shorts

NRL games coverage was recently thrown into doubt in the UK. Setanta sports went into administration the night before the 3rd leg of State of Origin 2009. This left a lot of fans anxious as to whether they would be able to watch on of the most exciting competitions in Rugby League.

Luckily Big Pond, the Australian media company, came to UK fans’ rescue by streaming the game live on their website for free however the quality and atmosphere wasn’t the same as watching on a big screen down the pub or in your living room with your mates.

Setanta is said to have started out of a pub when they bid for the rights of one premier league game. Things grew a long way from there however with 1.3 million subscribers they were 600,000 short of the number analysts estimated they would need to break even. With such massive losses due to the substantial costs they were paying for sports rights, it was only a matter of time before their collapse.

When Setanta first won the rights to show NRL games in the UK a lot of fans were upset at having to pay an extra £15 per month for the privilege. In the past sky were showing the games as part of their already expensive sports package. Paying more money on top of this was not something fans looked forward to however it had to be done if they wanted their NRL games.

Many subscribers would only watch Setanta for their Australian Rugby League coverage and the people at Setanta realised this bringing The Footy Show and State of Origin along for the ride.

Today with Setanta UK going bust (their Ireland channels are still in operation) it’s unclear the future of NRL games coverage in the UK. ESPN have bought Setanta UK but it’s unclear what their plans are at this stage. If they merge the coverage with their network then NRL fans could see games return to channels that fall under their sky sports package.

So in the long run perhaps this turn of events is good for UK fans who want to see NRL games as cheaply as possible.

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Rugby League Jerseys for part of the kit worn by players of Rugby Football League. There are 2 codes of rugby: union and league with union being internationally the more popular however  rugby league has very strong and passionate following in the UK, Australia and New Zealand especially.

The two main organizations for Rugby League are the Engage European Superleague and The National Rugby League of Australia and New Zealand. The Rugby League Jerseys of the NRL are arguably more attractive however many teams in the Superleague have very nice Rugby League Jerseys such as St Helens and Bradford Bulls.

With the sport being played in the heat of the southern hemisphere of Australia and New Zealand and the relatively colder conditions of the UK you would think that Rugby league Jerseys would be designed differently for each competition. However with it being a summer sport in the European Superleage it is normally still quite hot on match days and therefore light and breathable Rugby League jerseys are still very important.

The European Superleage is called thus despite having all teams being from the UK except for one, the Catalans Dragons. The Rugby League Jerseys of the Catalans dragons are very vibrant and colourful with a yellow and red away strip being very ‘fiery’ much like their passionate aggressive performances on the field.

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Rugby League jerseys can be distinguished from their union counterparts by the distinctive ‘V’ shape or design they carry. In the past some jerseys had a strange three quarter arm length. Having worn one of these I don’t really understand why it seemed slightly uncomfortable and restrictive of arm movement, which is obviously very important for passing and tackling etc.

The design of Rugby League jerseys do tend to be more vibrant and creative than their more traditional union counterparts. In the modern proffesional game many Rugby League jerseys no longer have the V patter to them however they are still arguably far more attractive than those in the other code of rugby.

It is obviously very important to have aesthetically pleasing Rugby League jerseys as it makes watching the game more enjoyable and also the tighter strips make the players look more powerful and athletic. Also commercially jersey sales are much higher when the kit is attractive. In the UK many amateur rugby league players love to buy Rugby League jerseys from the NRL teams in Australia and New Zealand.

There are of course still plenty of unattractive Rugby League jerseys such as the Engage Superleague club London Harlequins. The strange 4 square pattern on the front of very uncoordinated colours is very unsightly. Their blue and white away kit is very nice however. 

Rugby League Jerseys have gone from being quite heavy and warm to very light and comfortable being made from synthetic materials.

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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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