Canterbury Launches New England Kit for 2014/2015: Q&A

Canterbury Launches New England Kit for 2014/2015: Q&A

What are the difference between the shirts worn by players and those sold to fans

• TEST/PRO/CLASSIC There will be three versions of the Home shirt available – a player specification ‘TEST’ shirt, which includes all the technical features required for the game at the highest level, as well as the ‘PRO’ shirt, featuring the same styling with a looser fit, and the ‘CLASSIC’ which offers the new look on a traditional collared rugby shirt.
• ENGLAND CONNECTED All three Home shirts feature the ‘ENGLAND CONNECTED’ slogan, reinforcing the togetherness of fans and players. It is subtly located beneath the hem of the sleeve on the ‘Test’ version of the shirt, while the ‘Pro’ and ‘Classic’ editions feature the slogan on the rear neck area for visibility among fans.

When will the team first wear the new shirt?

• 8th November, 2014 vs. NZ The team will wear the shirt in the first QBE International against New Zealand on Saturday 8^th November, KO 2.30pm.

Where will fans be able to purchase the new kit?

• VARIOUS OUTLETS The new Home kit, and the other licensed product, will be available in the United States from leading rugby specialist and sports retailers, in store, online, and from the Canterbury online store.

What will the price point be?

• MARKET TREND The price will be in line with current market trend. Interestingly, in most territories replica kits sell for significantly more than in England. We are mindful of the market conditions and will strive to give the consumer a compelling reason to purchase our kit.

Click here to purchase the England Home or Alternate Jersey.

 Technical Specifications: What technologies are featured in the Test version of the kit?

• FABRIC The ‘Test’ version of the England Home shirt is engineered using Canterbury’s newest high performance fabric. It is constructed from polyester and elastane fibres that provide ultimate flexibility and comfort but can also withstand 50 newtons of force tear strength without tearing or losing strength.
• STRETCH The elastane also delivers stretch, allowing a tight fit which doesn’t restrict movement, whilst allowing players to avoid tackles. The fit also improves the player’s aerodynamic form, giving a vital edge to break from the pack to score the all-important tries.
• STRENGTH Canterbury shirts are designed to withstand even the very toughest physical rigors of rugby at the highest level, and the England shirts come with a number of features to vastly reduce any chance of a shirt malfunction on the field of play.
• LOOP 21 NECKLINE The shirt features a Loop 21.4 collar, an evolution of Canterbury’s signature Loop 21 neckline which has been developed for enhanced durability. Triple-bar tacks are configured to increase the strength of the shirt at the usual vulnerable areas, vastly reducing the risk of rips and tears.
• GRIP The shirt boasts a ‘ball-deadening’ rubber grip area on the chest, enhancing ball control and retention, reducing the risk of the player losing possession of the ball to an opponent.

Who has been involved in the development of the shirt?

• INNOVATION TEAM Canterbury is a rugby specialist brand, using over 100 years of expertise to inform its research and development processes, coupled with the latest 21^st century technologies and techniques. The Canterbury Innovation Team work closely with expert partners, players and coaches to deliver pioneering products made specifically to meet the demands of the modern game.
• ENGLAND TRAINING Members of the Canterbury Innovation Team attended training sessions to see what the shirts had to go through on the pitch.
• INSIGHT The Innovation Team also held insight sessions with the England team to gain insight and feedback from them, helping to inform the research and development process.

To what extent are the shirts tested?

• TESTING Canterbury shirts undergo a rigorous strength test programme, both at the fabric source stage, and at various points during construction. Testing methods range from laboratory based programmes, to the physical re-enactment of match scenarios on the training field.
• PARTNERS The Canterbury Innovation team also works in tandem with various partners to undergo rigorous testing of the product, ensuring that Canterbury shirts provide unrivalled performance.

• NEXT YEAR We’ll be launching the World Cup kit next year.

The Campaign: What is ‘England Is All’?

• ENGLAND IS ALL The ‘England Is All’ campaign was launched in 2012 to unite all members of the England Rugby family, taking in everybody from Elite players, coaches, staff, representatives of the 60,000 volunteers who help run our game and, of course, England fans. It reflects the unity and togetherness of everybody involved in the game throughout the country, as we all make the team, we stand together and we all wear the shirt with the red rose.

Why was their no player launch for the new kit?

• We launch the England kit in a different way each season and this year chose to unveil the kit with a host of imagery and video content with the England team and activity with Canterbury ambassador Geoff Parling.  We also unveiled #shirtie for the first time – a fun social media campaign to add a bit of playfulness to the activity.  We also have more exciting activity to come in the next couple of weeks on @canterburyNZ

• The four-year agreement was signed in September 2012 and will see Canterbury supplying kit to the England Senior, Saxons, Sevens, Women’s and age grade representative teams to beyond the Rugby World Cup in 2015.

What is the Canterbury deal worth?

• We don’t disclose specific figures as they remain confidential, but we are delighted with the enhanced kit deal – it is the biggest in the RFU’s history and will allow continued investment back into the game.

• The brand is owned by Pentland Group plc, following an acquisition from previous owner, JD Sports, in September 2012. It operates within Pentland Brands plc, a portfolio of global brands in sports, outdoor and fashion.

• FOCUS: Canterbury has focused on its core competency, which is rugby. We have a significantly improved supply chain and a core sense of direction to produce the best rugby kit available.
• RUGBY: Rugby inspires everything that Canterbury does and stands for, and the agreement with the RFU, coupled with the brand’s acquisition by Pentland Group plc, reflects the strength and continued growth of the business.

Is Canterbury now in a stable financial position?

• Canterbury is now owned by a PLC, which means there is renewed corporate governance in the business, where all commercial arrangements are evaluated on their return and brand strategy. The recent interim announcement of the parent company’s financials has shown that the Canterbury brand is producing a positive return on investment.

Where are the England kits manufactured?

• The kit is designed in England and manufactured at various locations across Asia.

• Having an alternate kit has been part of our strategy for over 10 years.
• Every penny made or saved at the RFU is put back into rugby. Revenues from the sales of the alternate shirt will be ploughed back into the game as part of our £27m-plus investment in the grassroots every year.

When will England first wear the alternate shirt?

• SAMOA The team will wear the shirt in the third QBE International against Samoa on Saturday 22^nd November, KO 7.00pm.

Why is the Alternate kit red?

• HERITAGE: Although our shirt has traditionally been white, red is a fundamental colour for us as represented by the St George’s cross and the England Rugby rose.

• Having an alternate kit has been part of our strategy for over 10 years. Alternate kits offer an opportunity to utilise different colours and designs and we believe the red shirt will be popular with supporters, just as previous alternate kits have been. Although our home shirt has traditionally been white, red is a fundamental colour for us as represented by the St George’s cross and the England Rugby rose and has featured in previous kits.
• Every penny made or saved at the RFU is put back into rugby. Revenues from the sales of the alternate shirt will be ploughed back into the game as part of our £27m-plus investment in the grassroots every year.

• Yes he is.

• No. He’s fully supportive of the team wearing red against Samoa.

But there is no colour clash with Samoa. Why are you wearing this? Isn’t this another marketing gimmick?

• Many teams wear alternate shirts whether there is a colour clash or not. We’ve found that previous alternate shirts have been popular with our fans and sold very well – plus every penny made or saved at the RFU is put back into rugby. So revenues from the sales of the alternate shirt will be ploughed back into the game as part of our £27m-plus investment in the grassroots every year.

• We’ll confirm that when we launch our RWC kit next year.

• There will be a pre-tournament draw to determine which team will wear their alternate kit.

Pre-order the jerseys online - with shipping available from September 27!