New Zealand All Blacks adidas Rugby World Cup 2011 Home Jersey / Kit

Ranked #1 by the International Rugby Board (IRB) and Rugby World Cup 2011 hosts, the New Zealand All Blacks are among the favorites to come away with the world championship in October.

Ahead of  Saturday night’s 40-7 rout of South Africa in Wellington, the  New Zealand All Blacks adidas Rugby World Cup 2011 home jersey was unveiled. The new jersey will act as the All Blacks first choice jersey for the 2011/12 period. It is now available at World Rugby Shop.

According to a press release from adidas and the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU):

The new strip will mark the biggest changes — in technology and design — to the iconic All Blacks jersey in more than a decade.

Although the most obvious change is the white collar — which pays tribute to the legacy of the All Black legend — the entire jersey has been rebuilt from scratch, using custom-created new fabrics and ground-breaking technologies…the new white collar pays tribute to those teams who wore the iconic All Blacks jersey with the white collar for most of the 20th century, including the 1987 All Blacks side, one of the most successful teams in the long legacy of the All Blacks.

The technology in the 2011 jersey is so advanced that there is only one machine in the world that is capable of making it — and adidas has secured the exclusive rights to it. This machine made it possible for the torso of the jersey to be created as an anatomically shaped tube, ensuring a perfect seamless fit.

The 2011 jersey is 50 per cent lighter than its predecessor, but just as strong. The revolutionary seamless manufacturing technique sets new standards in comfort and fit. And, for the first time, adidas’ patented ClimaCool technology is built into the main body of the fabric to keep players cool and dry.

You can see more of the latest rugby shirts in our Rugby Kits section.