Canterbury Reinvigorates Cardiff Blues Shirts With Hoops

Canterbury, the world’s largest dedicated rugby brand, has launched the new Cardiff Blues shirt for the 2013/14 season.

Blues stars Rhys Patchell, Matthew Rees, Dan Fish, Fau Filise and Harry Robinson were among surprised spectators as a flash mob of Debbie Chapman Dancers took crowds by surprise at The Hayes area of St David’s 2 shopping centre, Cardiff.

The flash mob started to undress to music, with Blues flanker Robin Copeland joining the dance routine to reveal a new hooped Blues shirt, evoking memories of traditional hooped Cardiff RFC shirts from the club’s early days. The jersey stems from the proud history of rugby in the region, which dates back to the 1870s but with a modern look and feel.

The shirt features thick navy and sky blue hoops and a solid dark upper torso, an evolution of Canterbury’s signature power-band looped neckline, which adds strength and reduces the chance of tears during the game.

Canterbury continues to push the boundaries of innovation in their rugby kit and has incorporated revolutionary new design elements into the shirt to maximise performance and aid recovery. The new Blues shirt is engineered using Canterbury’s newest high performance fabric, a 100% polyester elastane, which delivers optimum strength and effective moisture management, making the shirt lightweight and comfortable. The elastane also delivers stretch, allowing a tight fit which doesn’t restrict movement whilst allowing players to avoid tackles.

Chris Stephenson, CEO of Canterbury, commented:

“The city of Cardiff and Canterbury are synonymous with rugby, both steeped in rich heritage. This new Cardiff Blues hooped shirt evokes memories of the club’s long-standing history. This modern revamp also incorporates the cutting-edge fabric technologies that people have come to expect from the Canterbury brand.”

Canterbury have worked closely with Cardiff Blues to develop the ‘We are Blues’ campaign for the upcoming 2013-14 season, reinforcing the strong community at the club.

The new Cardiff Blues shirt is available now at www.canterbury.com