SBW: I hope I pull on this jersey
Sonny Bill Williams loves the stylised, state-of-the-art new All Blacks jersey that will come out for the World Cup. He just hopes he gets to wear it in Japan later this year.
Williams was one of the All Blacks picked to be part of yesterday’s special unveiling of the new World Cup jersey at an adidas store on Auckland’s waterfront. But the 33-year-old two-time World Cup winner is taking nothing for granted in terms of his selection for the global tournament which kicks off on September 20
Williams understands he’s in a tight race among a logjam of midfield contenders for World Cup selection and even though coach Steve Hansen has publicly stated his offloading second five-eighth has ‘‘nothing to prove’’ at the highest level of the game, he appreciates there are some compelling alternatives raising their hands for inclusion.
Of course he’s odds-on to be included in the 41-strong squad to be named tonight at the Ponsonby club in Auckland to contest the first two rounds of the Rugby Championship. But ultimately that enlarged group will be trimmed by 10 for Japan, and Williams has too much respect for his rival midfielders not to be at least a little on edge about that process.
The new playing jersey has a rounded black T-shirt collar, is 25 per cent lighter than anything produced previously and features hand-drawn koru and fern motifs on the torso that when viewed up close present a striking image. It’s simple, it’s stylish and it’s also highly symbolic.
Explained Yohji Yamamoto, who designed the World Cup wear (jerseys and training gear) through his Y-3 label: ‘‘We wanted to create a jersey that brought together the Japanese and Ma¯ ori cultures. The design bears hand-drawn koru and fern motifs in a celebration of Ma¯ ori culture.’’
According to New Zealand Rugby’s Kaihautu (Ma¯ ori adviser) Luke Crawford the fern design ‘‘represents the legacy of those players who have worn the jersey in the past, while the unfurling koru represents the younger players coming through . . . Y-3 have captured the mauri [essence] of what the All Blacks jersey stands for’’.
The RWC trophy is embossed on the right sleeve acknowledging the All Blacks’ triumphs in 1987, 2011 and 2015 while the front features three logos – the obligatory RWC2019 design is on the right, the sponsor’s badge centre and silver fern on the left.
The fusing of the two cultures is represented on the vivid blue training jerseys which feature the embossed design of the fuko neko (lucky cat) on the back.