RBP Gear Bag: 2015 Adidas Kakari SG

The latest addition to Adidas’ line of boots designed for tight five forwards, this years Kakari’s or the Kakari 3’s, are a simple redesign, and that makes sense, why fix what ain’t broke? Besides, with the likes of Paul O’Connell, Dane Coles, Rory Best, and other top flight internationals wearing them, they must be doing something right.

I still feel that Adidas have gotten the styling wrong, I don’t much care for the black and yellow color combination, and maintain that the Kakari’s of two or three years ago looked miles better. That being said these are forwards boots, and most forwards aren’t all that concerned with color schemes. The blacked out boots do look quite sinister, and it really is a very good look. Mothers everywhere will love the fact that the boots can get dirty and still look good, which is much better than those white ones over there that you’d have to clean all the time, and you’d be doing it yourself because they’re your boots and it’s your responsibility.

The heel and ankle region of the boot is made of tough BRAVO synthetic rubber that decreases the likelihood of you turning an ankle and offers a lot of support in scrums and rucks. Its also very durable, which means that it’s highly unlikely that you will see your boots coming apart of a good while. I’ve had friends that have bought one pair of Kakari’s, and then use them every year, with no complaints or indication of wanting anything else, and that to me is worth more than anything I can write in this article.

The boots come with a configuration of 8 large metal spikes, and one central plastic blade type thing, which means you have no end of grip when they dig in. I would say that you should be careful when buying these boots if your club plays on a firm surface, especially artificial turf, because the large spikes can give you blisters and it does sometimes feel that your feet do get stuck in the ground. My experience with these boots was interesting. I play hooker and scrum half, and I wore Adidas Predator Incurza’s last season. Switching to these, I didn’t like how heavy they felt on my feet compared to the Incurza’s, and I felt my foot speed was slower and more cumbersome in these. However, in the scrums and tight phases they did feel vastly superior, and when playing on softer surfaces they were like a completely different boot.

The synthetic leather on the inside of the boot is very comfortable, and I never once struggled with blisters when using the spikes the come with the boot. I did however encounter some discomfort when one of the spikes fell out and I replaced it with some that I had bought, which were slightly longer. This is also partly due to the firmness of the ground that my club plays on. The other feature that I like a lot is the heel wedge, which does make a noticeable difference when you go to start running.

Overall, these are a very good pair of boots that I would recommend to any tight five forward. They are comfortable and do the job very well, and although the styling may not be all that brilliant, thats a subjective thing and the blacked out option pretty much makes that irrelevant.

Scores:

Looks: 6/10

Comfort: 8/10

Weight: 7/10

OVERALL: 8.5/10

Get Your Pair of Kakari SG’s Here