‘Very deliberate’: Why the All Blacks refused to have Nations Championship logo on playing jersey

The jersey of Fiji and 10 other teams in the Nations Championship feature the competition's logo on their jerseys – but those worn by the All Blacks don't. Composite image / Photosport

Listen to this article — 'Very deliberate': Why the All Blacks refused to have Nations Championship logo on playing jersey

New coach Dave Rennie’s team selections haven’t been the only thing hotly debated and questioned by All Blacks fans on social media over the past two weeks.

So too has the absence of the official Nations Championship’s patch on their jersey.

The white circular patch – featuring the text “Nations Championship” and the tournament logo featuring a rugby ball split in half to designate the Southern Hemisphere and the Northern Hemisphere – features on the shoulder of all 11 other nations taking part.

But it is noticeably missing from the All Blacks, with their strip again featuring just the logo of sponsors adidas and Altrad.

The reason for the absence has become a discussion point on fan forums, reddit chat pages and other social media accounts followed by All Blacks fans.

That includes a post on the popular The Legend of Marty Banks page titled “Did NZ not get the memo on the ‘Nations Championship’ logo” that features photos of the Wallabies, Wales, Ireland, Springboks, England and France wearing jerseys featuring the patch, and the All Blacks with artwork-free shoulders.

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) confirmed the patch would not feature on the All Blacks’ jersey in any Nations Championship test.

A post on social media asking the question about the lack of a Nations Championship patch on the All Blacks jersey.

Rugby officials had rejected adding the round patch partly to protect the integrity of the jersey.

“NZR is very deliberate about what is placed on national team jerseys, including for commercial and non-commercial reasons,” a spokesman told the Herald.

“There is no requirement in the Nations Championship participation agreement for the All Blacks to wear the mark on the jersey.”

The famous All Blacks black jersey is one of global sport’s most unique brands.

Part of that mystique is around how the garment has never undergone massive changes to its look in the professional era.

French player Oscar Jegou charges forward against the All Blacks, with the Nations Championship patch featuring on his left shoulder. Photo / Photosport

That’s in contrast to the playing kits of so many other globally famous national or club teams from various sporting codes.

The names or logos of only five corporate sponsors have appeared over the past 30 years on the black jersey; Canterbury of New Zealand, Steinlager, adidas, AIG and Altrad.

Patches signifying Rugby World Cup matches have been present at tournaments since 1995.

Other very rare additions have included an RSA poppy embroidered on to the jersey for test matches played in Europe around Armistice Day, while in 2019, the number 637 was embroidered on test jerseys as a tribute to the passing of Sir Brian Lochore.

In 2019, the number 637 was embroidered on test jerseys a tribute to the passing of the Sir Brian Lochore.

And in 1998, players wore a No 2 on their shoulder as a mark of honour to former captain Sean Fitzpatrick, who had earlier retired.

Patches on playing kit are a regular sight in top-level football.

That includes in the ongoing Fifa World Cup, with different-coloured or worded patches featuring on playing shirts signifying the different stages of the tournament.

The shirts of players making their World Cup debut have also sported a specific patch.

The All Blacks are the only team in rugby's new Nations Championship who are not sporting the tournament's logo on their jersey – a move New Zealand Rugby says is deliberate to protect the kit.

The Nations Championship is governed via a partnership between World Rugby, Sanzaar (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina) and the Six Nations (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales).

The biennial competition debuted earlier this month, with the All Blacks-France test in Christchurch being the first match of the new series.

But it has launched without a naming-rights sponsor.

Qatar Airways had been set to be the naming-rights sponsor for the start of the tournament.

But media in the UK reported in late June that the state-owned national carrier of Qatar had put a pause on an earlier agreement to sponsor the tournament because of the fallout from the Middle East crisis.

The deal was said to be worth an estimated $185 million and to cover from 2026-2034.

But it has been reported that Qatar Airways could formally activate the deal for Nations Championship tests in Europe later this year.

That would include All Blacks clashes against England, Scotland and Wales, and whatever Nations Championship playoff match the side qualifies for to be played at Twickenham in late November.

Part of the deal is ground branding, with the potential for the official logo to also feature Qatar Airways emblem.

Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 34 years of newsroom experience.

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