There are "few things likely to incite the rage of rugby supporters quicker than a jersey re-design," according to Georgina Robinson of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Except, that is, a Rugby World Cup jersey re-design, "which is 10 times more
vulnerable to mass nostalgia and guaranteed to attract a heated
backlash." Sportswear manufacturer Asics "steps bravely into the breach" with the unveiling on Wednesday of the '15 jersey. The reaction "will not be pretty, if leaked early photographs are
anything to go by." The images "popped up in apparel shops overseas and
online this week," and while the pictures shown here are "said to be a
supporters' version of the playing jersey, fans showed no mercy online." One user on fan site Green and Gold Rugby commented, "I AM SURE that a Kiwi designer is secretly behind this obvious
attempt to undermine the calibre of the Wallaby brand in the eyes of the
Australian sports-loving public." The jersey's "main break with the recent minimalist tradition of Wallabies garment design appears to be a stars-and-stripes feature on the right sleeve." The color scheme is "still green and gold -- or rich yellow -- and the stars are the southern cross." There was no sign of the Wallabies logo, which was moved to the sleeve to "make way for the Rugby World Cup logo" in '11 and is expected to be there again, "to satisfy commercial requirements." But it "went down like a lead balloon among diehard fans." One fan said, "Yeah it's a little bit 90s pajamas (sic) odi cricket and a little bit tennis t shirt. Nothing particularly rugby about it." A "few brave dissenters made their voice heard." A "suspected All Blacks supporter" posted, "Who cares - if
they win the RWC Cup in it, guarantee most of you will be wearing it
with pride for at least the rest of 2015 and probably half of 2016" (SMH, 6/9).
