Top Ten European Rugby Kits

One of the things that club rugby can afford that international sides cannot, is creativity with their kit designs. Every year we see new trends and ideas, as well as clever new technology to help those wearing the jerseys. With the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup quarterfinals now settled, we at RBP have decided to rank what we feel are the top ten kits in both competitions. We are factoring all kits, so the home, away, and European (if applicable) kits have been factored in.

10. Edinburgh:

We are really big fans of Edinburgh’s camouflage kits, but their regular home kits look very good as well. The red and grey stripes are a touch of class, which are a welcome relief from some of Edinburgh’s less successful attempts in the past.

9. Munster:

Munster seem to have sent Adidas a memo on kit colors with just two words. “More red”. While many may want to see more creativity, the simple, elegant, deep maroon red is really classy. We’re also big fans of the black jerseys, although we suspect that the all black look has already been taken by a certain team (wonder which?). There’s nothing too flashy about this design, but there is certainly nothing wrong with it.

8. Toulouse:

We’re big fans of the Toulouse kit, featuring a very cool red stripe down the center of the jersey. We also really liked the batman kit that they featured against Ulster. The home kit was never going to be too out of the ordinary, but a club with Toulouse’s history usually doesn’t like to change much.

7. Glasgow:

Two tone jerseys divided by a horizontal line seem to be all the rage these days, and Glasgow’s own rendition is quite catchy. The jerseys feature tributes to local Glasgow features like the Riverside museum on the home kit and the Finnieston Crane on the European kit.

6. Harlequins:

In keeping with tradition, Harlequins home jersey features the classic 4 different colored rectangles, but the alternate kit features loads of creativity. Some will not like the look, which resembles a rainbow barcode, but we think it’s actually quite good looking on the field. Its also worth mentioning their very cool Joker themed practice kit.

5.Toulon:

The three time European champions revised their jerseys this season, and the results are very very good. The smooth elegant design blends the red and black elements really well, and the French side have made a really good choice in their design. The gradual fade is a design that has also become very popular this season, and it is one that we hope will stick around.

4.Connacht:

The Western province has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, and this has only been helped along by the brilliant designs that BLK have been giving them. Firstly, there was the Green Lantern design that inspired them to their first win in Thomond Park since 1986. Then there’s the lovely combinations of green, blue and white on the home and away kits. The European kit is also gorgeous, featuring a deep purple and green that looks really good.

3. Leinster:

Leinster’s European kit hasn’t changed, and features a very cool tribute to the “dazzle camouflage” that became popular in World War I. Their home and away kits have changed however, and we really like what they have done. The home kit features a classy white bar across the shoulders, and 12 black bars (representing the counties of the province) down across the stomach. Leinster have struck a really good chord with their design.

2. Bath:

Bath have made some minor changes to their home jersey design, but those little touches have gone a long way in improving the design. The jersey that we really like here was the European kits. The black jerseys featuring gold and blue touches look fantastic, and although Bath could not escape the gauntlet of Pool 5, their kit was something they can definitely be very proud of.

1. Saracens:

It’s a wonder more clubs don’t get their kits from Nike, as the Saracens design is simply brilliant. Both the home and away jerseys manage to be both eye grabbing and classy, with their color fades and simple elegance. Many times teams try to do far too much on their jerseys, but Saracens have gone with a less is more mentality, and the end result is simply fantastic.

You can get all of these brilliant kits here!