Ng¯ai Tahu jerseys for Manly NRL team

The Manly Sea Eagles will wear a special Nga¯ i Tahu-inspired playing strip for their NRL match against the Warriors in Christchurch in June.

Manly players – including Kiwis Lewis Brown and Martin Taupau – will sport a jersey commissioned by Nga¯ i Tahu and designed by one of its leading Ma¯ori artists and master carver, Fayne Robinson.

Lyall Gorman, Manly’s chief executive, said the uniform move highlighted the Sydney club’s commitment to building a long-term partnership with Christchurch and its community.

Manly has signed up to play home matches at AMI Stadium in 2018 and 2019 with an option for a third match in 2020.

‘‘The strip will have a unique mix of Nga¯ i Tahu and Manly heritage and will only be worn for our matches in Christchurch,’’ Gorman said.

‘‘We hope that our relationship with the Canterbury region will extend far beyond those first three years and that the shirt will become synonymous with the strong bond between Manly and the people of the South Island.’’

Nga¯i Tahu expects to present the special playing uniform to Manly representatives in early April.

Robinson said he felt honoured to be asked to design a Nga¯ i Tahuinspired Manly jersey. The request combined his two passions – Ma¯ ori art and rugby league.

‘‘The shirt design aims to represent the natural divide between our two countries and the eagle crossing the water to make his way to the South Island,’’ he said.

Match promoter Justin Wallace said over 3000 tickets have already been snapped up, five months before kick-off, and he expected a sold-out AMI Stadium.

The June 9 match kicks off at 5pm.