Rugby World Cup
All Blacks pay homage to Originals with kit
ESPN Staff
July 1, 2015
All Blacks shirt
All Blacks shirt© (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

The All Blacks' Rugby World Cup kit, labelled the "most technically advanced All Black kit to date", is seen to pay respect to the Originals team that played a 35-match tour of the United Stats, United Kingdom and France in 1905 and were seen as the founding forefathers of the All Blacks as we know them now.

The patterns on the shoulders of the shirt are a tribute to the leather design on the 1905 shirt.

"To wear a jersey with a design that represents the nation's proud rugby heritage and reflects the team's success since 1905 is hugely significant to us," All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw said.

Richie McCaw
Richie McCaw© (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

"The mana behind the jersey combines everything the country and our sport stands for," New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew said. "It's an honour to provide our players with the opportunity to wear a jersey which pays respects to our rugby ancestors."

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