Brumbies, 1996
With navy over the shoulders and chest, white around the torso and striped, orange detailing, Brumbies entered the Super 12s era with few expecting much from them on the pitch but clad in a jersey for the ages.
The first ‘official’ Super Rugby retro strip when it was reborn in 2017, Brumbies’ first-ever home shirt was an immediate classic in both name and spirit; literally, produced by Australian apparel brand Classic Sportswear, and figuratively, in capturing the hearts of supporters with its iconic design.
As the third of the Australian Super Rugby franchises to be formed, the Brumbies were given little hope of success; while the squad boasted Argentine international Patricio Noriega, regarded by many as the best in the world in his position at the time, and the international experience of George Gregan, Troy Cocker, David Knox and Ewan McKenzie, it was assumed that a team made up of Waratahs and Reds rejects was destined for a difficult start to the professional era. And yet, under head coach Rod Macqueen, they finished fifth in the regular season table, ahead of the soon to be fierce rivals the ‘Tahs. In the years to come, the Brumbies would be the side that rose to success.
What makes that inaugural jersey so memorable was the sponsor, the bold Canberra MILK logo placed front and centre. The influence behind the rare ‘cow’ jersey that can be sparsely found on classic jersey websites, the sponsor would remain when the shirt designer switched to Canterbury for the ‘98 season. Computer Associates would move from sleeve to chest sponsor the season after that, and it was this designer and sponsor partnership, under the direction of a certain Eddie Jones, that would take the Brumbies to their first Super Rugby title. And yet, there is a nostalgia for the Brumbies formative years that the Classic x Milk partnership will forever hold; when the design was revisited by O’Neills for the 25-year Super Rugby anniversary shirt, their absence was a notable omission.
Despite the move away from Classic, today’s O’Neills design retains the fundamentals of the ‘96 original. Classic, meanwhile, has recently signed a long-term deal with the five Super Rugby NZ franchises, with the opportunity for ‘heritage jerseys’ taking pride of place at the head of the press release. It looks sure that the Blues and the Crusaders are soon to be reminiscing on the glory days (Blues supporters much more fervently no doubt); perhaps one day Brumbies supporters will be afforded the same indulgence in the past.
