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From the classic shirt worn by the greats of the 1970s through to the present day, here are the best Wales rugby jerseys, ranked!
If you see a red rugby shirt, there’s a good chance the first team you think of is Wales. The principality has become synonymous with the colour, and some of the greatest players in the history of the game have worn the famous shirt with the feathers on the chest.
Related: Wales rugby fixtures
For many years the Welsh rugby jersey remained unchanged, as generations of players – from Cliff Morgan and Gareth Edwards through to Jonathan Davies and Ieuan Evans – wore the classic kit. Since the ’90s, however, the shirt has gone through numerous updates, with new colour schemes, different cuts and collars, and various sponsors along the way. Some have been brilliant, while others have been more… forgettable.
This guide to the best Wales rugby jerseys, ranked shows how the red shirt has evolved from 1990 through to the present day. We’ve picked out a selection of the best (and worst) to show the sporting fashions that have charted the high and lows of a proud rugby nation.
Read more: Who has captained Wales rugby?
2024-present
Wales are yet to taste victory in their latest red kit (Ian Cook – CameraSport via Getty Images)
The latest Wales rugby jersey, released for the 2024 Autumn Nations Series, continues Macron’s tradition of simple but effective designs. This one borrows plenty from the 2020 release, but adds a subtle fiery pattern to the sleeves, ditches the green trim and swaps the V-neck collar for an asymmetrical roundneck design. Unfortunately, the Wales men’s team’s current record-breaking losing streak means they’ve never won wearing this kit.
Editor’s verdict: It’s not been lucky for Wales so far and the fire design is a bit fussy, but it’s another solid design from Macron. 7/10
Wales men’s home jersey 2024 | £79 £70
You can currently save £9 (that’s over 12%) on the current Macron Wales home shirt at Sports Direct.
View Deal
Wales’ white away strip will come in handy now they have to change against Ireland (Johan Rynners – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
Wales have experimented with multiple different colours for their change strips over the years, with green, black and even yellow designs all part of the back catalogue. The latest version opts for white, however, which is probably a wise choice with new World Rugby regulations (introduced for the benefit of colour blind fans) stipulating that Wales and Ireland can no longer face each other in their traditional red and green kits.
Editor’s verdict: A smart reverse of traditional Welsh colours that will benefit many colour blind viewers. 8/10
Wales women’s away jersey 2024 | £79 £70
You can also save £9 on the current Macron Wales away shirt at Sports Direct.
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The best Wales rugby jerseys, ranked
1990
There’s a reason this classic design remained largely unchanged for decades (Mark Leech/Getty Images)
With the exception of a few notable outliers like France’s famous Le Coq Sportif and Adidas kits, international rugby shirts tended to go pretty much unchanged for decades until the ’90s.
Luckily, there’s little you could do to improve on the minimal elegance of the old-school Wales kit – the shirt worn by Gareth Edwards, Barry John, JPR Williams and the rest remains utterly timeless.
Editor’s verdict: You can introduce all the design adornments and technical features in the world, but sometimes a plain red rugby jersey with a white collar delivers everything you need. 10/10
1992
Who knew a green collar on a red shirt would work so well? (Mark Leech/Getty Images)
England had modernised their kit for the 1991 World Cup, and Wales followed suit in the subsequent Five Nations. Cotton Traders’ most radical departure from the traditional design was the green collar, but there was also a “Dragons” motif on the right sleeve, some green flashes on the shorts, and a simplified version of the Prince of Wales feathers – a logo that remains largely unchanged three decades later.
Wales gave the kit a minor update two years later, adding white and green bands to the sleeves.
Editor’s verdict: The green collar wasn’t an obvious choice but it works brilliantly here, in a simple but effective update to the classic Wales kit. 8/10
Read more: Your full guide to the 2025 Men’s Six Nations
1995
Those white bands on the sleeves do little to enhance an otherwise traditional design (JEAN-PIERRE MULLER/AFP via Getty Images)
By the mid-’90s, rugby had taken a leaf out of football’s book and realised there was money to be made in regular kit updates. The Wales team travelled to the 1995 World Cup wearing a design that reinstated the long-standing white collar and plain shorts, while adding a pair of thin white bands to the sleeves.
Editor’s verdict: The white bands do little to enhance what is, in most regards, a rehash of the classic Wales shirt. 5/10
2000
Is it possible to have too much red on a Wales shirt? (Mark Leech/Getty Images)
Wales started a long-running partnership with Reebok in 1996, but their initial kit design barely warrants a mention here – it was essentially just the original shirt with Reebok branding, a red flash on the collar, and (usually) green socks.
By the time the 2000 Autumn Internationals came around, however, the manufacturer had become a little bit more adventurous, with an all-red collar and some white piping on the shirt. Wales also had their first shirt sponsor in the form of telecommunications company Redstone.
Editor’s verdict: It seems improbable that a Wales shirt could overdo the red, but this one arguably does. 6/10
Related: Best Springboks jerseys ranked
2002
Red and black proves an irresistible combination (Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)
Reebok switched to black and red, and the result was one of the best Welsh rugby jerseys of all time. The decision to embrace the dark side creates a classy, minimalist riff on the vintage Wales shirt, while the black shorts are a nostalgic throwback to some of the great Wales sides of the ’70s.
Editor’s verdict: Pure class – it’s a shame Wales didn’t stick with this kit for longer. 9/10
2003
There’s no shortage of ideas in this Welsh rugby kit but do they all go together? (Nick Laham/Getty Images)
Reebok got really radical for Wales’ exciting 2003 World Cup campaign, opting for a grandad collar and Arsenal-style flashes of white (with green accents) on the sleeves. Unfortunately, they don’t really go with the black shorts – or, for that matter, any other aspect of this crowded design.
Editor’s verdict: Each of the new design elements looks okay in isolation, but together they’re a bit of a mess. 5/10
2005
The most open of open-neck collars on the 2005 Grand Slam kit (John Gichigi/Getty Images)
The white shorts returned for Wales’ first Grand Slam since 1978. In line with prevailing trends in rugby, the shirt was significantly tighter than its predecessors, but the biggest talking point has to be that weird, very open-necked collar – what on earth were the designers thinking? Cardiff brewery Brains took over shirt sponsorship duties.
Editor’s verdict: Its Grand Slam associations mean this kit has fond memories for Welsh fans, but it’s nowhere near the best. 6/10
2006
You wouldn’t be surprised if Wales ran out in this shirt in next year’s Six Nations (David Rogers/Getty Images)
Arguably the first Wales design to look like a modern rugby shirt. Aside from a brief dalliance with another kit for their ill-fated 2007 World Cup campaign, Wales persisted with this design through to Warren Gatland’s famous 2008 Grand Slam – though by that time they’d ditched the numbers on the sleeves.
Editor’s verdict: A glimpse of the future, this wouldn’t look out of place at the Principality Stadium now. 7/10
Related: Best All Blacks jerseys ranked
2008
Under Armour’s first Wales rugby kit takes design tips from Father Ted (Duif du Toit/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
American sportswear giants Under Armour took over the Wales kit contract in 2008, a deal that would run for over a decade. The green socks look great, but the white flashes on the shirts are overly fussy, and that thick, white crew neck collar looks like something a vicar might wear.
Editor’s verdict: Functional rather than stylish, Under Armour’s first effort is far from their best. 5/10
2010
Is George North annoyed because he has to wear that shirt? (Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)
We’re going to go out on a limb and suggest this is the worst Wales rugby kit of all time. The white flashes on the sleeves were clearly going for that Arsenal vibe again, but they – like the triangles on the flanks – look unfinished. In short, it’s an unflattering mess of ideas but, mercifully, it didn’t last for long.
Editor’s verdict: A design that tries too hard to stand out, it simply doesn’t feel like a Wales shirt. 4/10
2011
Any ideas what that white block under the collar is for? Answers on a postcard… (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Most aspects of the kit Wales wore on their run to the 2011 World Cup semi-finals are great – the white flashes on the flanks are stylish, while the graph-paper like fabric adds a bit of interest to the shorts. Unfortunately, the look is tarnished by that massive white block at the front of the collar – we still have no idea why it’s there.
Editor’s verdict: Another example of a decent shirt being ruined by a very strange design element. 6/10
2013
Those red shorts are a break with tradition but the Liverpool look works (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
The black returns in another memorable kit. Purists may have queried the unconventional red shorts – was the designer a Liverpool fan, by any chance? – but the black and grey accents on the shirts and shorts are a fantastic addition. Probably the first great kit of Under Armour’s tenure.
Editor’s verdict: It’s a break with tradition but one that works. 8/10
Related: Best Ireland jerseys ranked
2015
“Oxblood” and “Welsh gold” are much better than they sound on paper (Ben Radford/Corbis via Getty Images)
Ignore the nonsense in the press release about the “oxblood” details on the shoulders referencing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, or the “Welsh gold” being a nod to the precious metal once found in Welsh mines. In all other regards Under Armour knocked it out of the park with this classy design.
Editor’s verdict: A new colour scheme delivers one of the best Wales rugby shirts of all time. 9/10
2020
Macron’s first Wales rugby shirt is a belter (Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Under Armour rolled out a couple more kits before parting ways with Wales in 2020. In fact, because the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted that year’s Six Nations, Wales finished the tournament in a different kit to the one they’d started in. Macron’s debut shirt was a belter, with the smart green trim accenting a classic design.
Editor’s verdict: Macron hit the ground running. 8/10
2023
You could almost imagine wearing this Wales rugby shirt on a night out (Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
Macron went back to basics for the 2023 World Cup, with a modern shirt that looked like a throwback to the 20th century – aside from the considerably tighter cut, of course. The faux-collar gives this Wales rugby jersey the look of a retro polo shirt, while the subtle white bands add some extra pizzazz to the sleeves.
Editor’s verdict: As stylish as modern rugby kits get. 9/10
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Publish date : 2025-01-16 17:30:57
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