He Who Wears Wins
August 17th 2006 10:35
During last year’s NRL grand final between the Wests Tigers and North Queensland Cowboys in Sydney two of the most shocking uniforms in Australian sport were put on display. Wiggles, lines, strange pictures and colours of dubious combination clashed almost as fiercely as the players themselves. In the end the Tigers, whose jumpers look like an unholy alliance between Grandma’s curtains and a relief map of the Southern Alps, won the battle to become NRL premiers. They also won the title of worst dressed men in Australia, from a committed group of over 50‘s representing the Rooty Hill RSL pokie room. Is this a sign for those teams accomplished in the dressing room but starved of success on the field?
In New Zealand, rugby union provides plenty of evidence to support the case for a smart look on the field. Canterbury and Auckland, undoubtedly the two dominant teams of the NPC in recent times, wear jerseys of uncomplicated beauty. The sight of the simple two-colour hoops of yesteryear signals to the other blokes that their opposition won’t be reluctant to tackle lest their jumpers get stained. Northland on the other hand, wearing jumpers like three-tone tablecloths, haven’t won an NPC match in almost three whole seasons. Colin Meads never wore a jumper with multiple stripes and it didn’t hurt his career. For New Zealand black has always been the new black.
The Super 12 never saw a decent jumper which suggests that the uglier the better for the upcoming Super 14. Any team that starts dressing smart now would simply be cheating. The Reds and The Waratahs occasionally wear the traditional strip but it hasn’t won them anything so it doesn’t count. The greatest though, was undoubtedly the original Western Stormers. A team brave and imaginative enough to wear orange was simply outstanding. To combine it with blue, green and red was breathtaking. To then slap it on Percy Montgomery was pure genius.
I would love to go into a furious diatribe about the “cycling” jerseys introduced by Nike, but the simple fact is that England won a World Cup wearing them. This doesn’t mean that we have to like the wretched things, or like the English team themselves for that matter.
In my personal experience, I played for a club team that took the field in glorious purple and gold, and we were thrashed fairly regularly. The things that hurt the most though were undoubtedly the taunts. Yes, I do dress like a girl and play like one too, but there’s no need to bring it up at the bottom of a ruck.
In New Zealand, rugby union provides plenty of evidence to support the case for a smart look on the field. Canterbury and Auckland, undoubtedly the two dominant teams of the NPC in recent times, wear jerseys of uncomplicated beauty. The sight of the simple two-colour hoops of yesteryear signals to the other blokes that their opposition won’t be reluctant to tackle lest their jumpers get stained. Northland on the other hand, wearing jumpers like three-tone tablecloths, haven’t won an NPC match in almost three whole seasons. Colin Meads never wore a jumper with multiple stripes and it didn’t hurt his career. For New Zealand black has always been the new black.
The Super 12 never saw a decent jumper which suggests that the uglier the better for the upcoming Super 14. Any team that starts dressing smart now would simply be cheating. The Reds and The Waratahs occasionally wear the traditional strip but it hasn’t won them anything so it doesn’t count. The greatest though, was undoubtedly the original Western Stormers. A team brave and imaginative enough to wear orange was simply outstanding. To combine it with blue, green and red was breathtaking. To then slap it on Percy Montgomery was pure genius.
I would love to go into a furious diatribe about the “cycling” jerseys introduced by Nike, but the simple fact is that England won a World Cup wearing them. This doesn’t mean that we have to like the wretched things, or like the English team themselves for that matter.
In my personal experience, I played for a club team that took the field in glorious purple and gold, and we were thrashed fairly regularly. The things that hurt the most though were undoubtedly the taunts. Yes, I do dress like a girl and play like one too, but there’s no need to bring it up at the bottom of a ruck.
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