New Alternative Munster Jersey Revealed

It fills me with pride to be able to say my first jersey was a Munster one. The fact it was the alternative one made it all the more special. Only those in the know about Munster would spot it, I thought to myself. Abroad I was to realise its multifaceted benefits. The Bank of Ireland sponsorship ensured most would realise it was an Irish jersey at least, the Munster emblem would guarantee recognition from fellow Irish travellers, and the fact it was the alternative jersey would only be noticed by the Munster faithful abroad, or so I thought...

It's for this reason amongst others the Munster alternative jersey has always held a special lure for me. This was added to by Munster achieving Heineken Cup glory against Toulouse in their alternative jersey (their donning of this was determined by a coin toss)... So you can see why I awaited the launch of the new alternative jersey with baited breath, especially with the furore surrounding the new home jersey adding fuel to rumours of a possible yellow alternative jersey...


On Wednesday 12th August I hovered and clicked over "next" until I came to a picture of Donncha O'Callaghan wearing a navy jersey with a big difference. Checking the caption below, he was indeed sporting the new alternative jersey... Firstly I was a little bit relieved, having steeled myself for a yellow ensemble, the return to navy was a welcome one. But what of the other quarter of the jersey? Put simply, I love it! Bold, audacious, yet distinctly rugby in style, it really comes across as a striking piece of teamwear! Perhaps inspired by the classic rugby jersey patterns of Cambridge and Harlequins, adidas have not made a similar effort elsewhere (being the official kit providers of Argentina and New Zealand amongst others).


So elated was I with this fine piece of fabric, even the sight of young prodigy Keith Earls being dressed up to promote Daffodil Day could not bring me down! But don't take my word for it, let's have a look at Donncha O'Callaghan's reaction. Last season it was clear for all to see he was unhappy with adidas' effort, here we see him voicing this exasperation.


At the launch of Munster's new home jersey, he resembled a child being forced to wear a cardigan at his First Communion - an unhappy child to say the least. But the new alternative jersey makes him look like a man on a mission.

Munster Home Jersey Officially Launched

The new Munster jersey for '09/'10 was released recently, and amid initially hostile reaction from fans, it would be prudent to examine the process that led to this Santa suit being created.

Unfortunately, when Munster joined up with adidas, they appear to have lost a large part of their connection with their much lauded supporters. When such die-hard cohorts of the Red Army are willing to siphon off some of the kids' savings to see Munster in action, is it really fair or responsible to present them with exorbitantly priced monstrosities such as last season's alternative jersey/Ulster soccer kit?











This season is nearly worse, while other teams such as Leicester take their supporters' views on board, one cannot help but feel that adidas will happily churn out jersey after jersey, not giving a damn about their demographic...

What they don't realise however, is that this very same demographic scared potential sponsors off renaming Thomond Park, and potentially adidas could rue their mistakes, feeling the wrath of this passionate band of supporters...

New Jersey Fiasco Update!

An official template of what’s in store à la the new Ireland jersey has been sighted on the web. Early signs are that the shade of green is not darker, although one would be hard pressed to claim it is harking away from emerald and towards the lime end of the spectrum. The curious trend of imprinting slogans on your neck is continued, here as “Since 1874”. This in itself is interesting, as it refers to the foundation of both the Irish Football Union (Munster, Leinster, Connacht, and parts of Ulster) and the Northern Football Union (Belfast area of Ulster). The IRFU itself was formed in 1879, with branches only in Munster, Leinster and Ulster. When Connacht got its branch in 1886, the IRFU also became one of the founding members of the International Rugby Football Board (now IRB), the headquarters of which are located in Dublin.















The alternative jersey is very similar to the old Canterbury one, and also includes the “Since 1874”. Perhaps this is rocking the boat a bit too much, but perhaps a step away from the boring white might be an option? Hark back to the tricolour, and get us going out in a gold/orange jersey? Or while we’re at it, have us coming out in Celtic monk-like costumes, our way of freaking out the All Blacks’ haka…

But I digress, and I continue my tangent, leaving us discussing Canterbury, it looks like their European arm has been saved, and thus the hideous creation that is the new Leinster jerseys can be spawned. Apparently the UK company JD Sports has saved Canterbury of Europe from administration, accordingly failing to save us from Leinster’s flaccid “swoosh”…


In news closer to home, the supposed adidas launch of the Munster jersey on Tuesday 4th August 2009 turned out to be just a photoshoot before the squad headed out to Portugal for pre-season training. It will be after the weekend at the earliest we can expect to see photos of the hotly anticipated new Munster jersey, and one lucky supporter who was there confirmed that there is indeed a new Munster alternative jersey for this coming season... But for those who have beef with the new home jersey, best start pouring the gravy on it, because it looks like that is definitely the finished product...

Heineken Cup Finally Free-to-Air?

Prompted by the recent successes of Munster and Leinster on the European stage, Eamon Ryan (Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources) is planning to add the Heineken Cup final to to a list of sporting events that must be shown live on free-to-air television in Ireland.


The addition of the Heineken Cup final to the list of “events of major importance to society” is likely to be opposed by the IRFU, BSkyB (Sky Sports) and ERC. Live coverage of the Irish team’s games in the Rugby World Cup tournament is also included on the free live coverage register, which is found in the Broadcasting (Major Events Television Coverage) Act 2003.


This is an encouraging move, and one which hopefully will wrestle Sky Sport’s stranglehold off live rugby games. Incidentally, apparently only delayed coverage of Ireland’s Six Nations matches is on the free live coverage register, meaning the IRFU can charge RTÉ more to broadcast the games live. This in a year when the IRFU made at least €3 million in profit solely due to the extra coffers provided by Croke Park’s capacity – it appears the IRFU are more than willing to use the Government-funded stadium, but not to return the favour when it comes to utilising this “free-to-air” directive…

New Jersey Fiasco

Okay, so I thought the Leinster jersey/Bank of Ireland ad was bad, but this, this is just unacceptable...

MUNSTER will wear a new home jersey next season, with kit manufacturers adidas adding specially worded features to one of world rugby’s most famous shirts.

The new kit will be officially launched on August 12, two days before the province face Sale Sharks in their opening pre-season friendly. However, an American website last night leaked pictures of the new kit which will be worn by Paul O’Connell and company next season.

The words "wear with pride and honesty" are embossed on the inside of the collar, while the six counties of Munster are imprinted along the bottom end of the jersey, symbolising the unity within the province.

First off, it appears to be orange, although this is just how the photo was taken.












Secondly, there is the inscription "Wear with Pride and Honesty" on the inside of the collar, call me old fashioned, but I prefer the "Machine Wash Cold" approach.


Thirdly, there appears to be a very crude embossing of the Munster stag, although this could well be the Bat-Signal.

Fourthly, there is a strange abandoning of the navy trim so adored by many, and instead an uptake of yellow for both home trim and alternative jersey?!?













And finally, the names of the counties of Munster are inscribed in the inside of the waist, just in case the jersey wasn't tat enough so far.


Honestly, who decides these matters? While obviously not a Leinster fan, I've kept my ears open, and many have been clamouring for a return to the lighter shade of blue. Instead, Bank of Ireland seem to have exercised their clout and eliminated the other Leinster colour, yellow. Compare this to the Munster outrage at the yellow in their jersey, and leaving the irony aside (some are claiming the provinces should just swap jerseys) you would seriously wonder if any consultation with the fans happens...

On a more united note (their kit is coming in for heavy criticism too), most Irish supporters have lamented the continual darkening of the Irish jersey - and personally I thought Puma would pick up on that and bring the jersey back to a lighter shade of green. Apparently, this is not the case, as most photos of training gear to date shows quite a dark green, with a potentially controversial new IRFU logo...













S'pose the three of them could be worse, this team for one definitely sold out, that's for sure!