THE new Wales kit, from Under Armour, to be worn by both the senior men’s and women’s international sides until the end of 2020, has been revealed by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) today.

The bespoke kit incorporates a new quartered design, representing the four corners of Wales uniting together as one and inspired by the medieval coat of arms of Llywelyn the Great, the plating effect found on a suit of armour and the line ‘…my strength and shield’ from the hymn ‘Bread of Heaven’*.

These quarters are partitioned by a chevron shape which has been depicted at angles of 18.81 degrees**, a nod to the game’s heritage in Wales - with 1881 being the year the WRU was first formed – and producing a striking design element which runs through both the kit range and the look and feel of all associated WRU imagery.

The traditional red home jersey is paired with white shorts with red trim and red socks, whilst the unique ‘alternate’ kit sees Wales dress in a green inspired by the third colour of the national flag, matched with white shorts with green trim and green socks – the first time Wales will have worn all green since the 1995 Rugby World Cup (RWC).

Rhyl Journal:

PICTURE: WRU

A further highly visible feature is the new ‘stitch-integrated’ WRU three-feathers badge, which appears on a red asymmetrical hexagon, or shield-shaped, background on all versions of the senior men’s and women’s international kits and is repeated on the shorts.

Wales will wear their new uniform against England at Twickenham on August 11 and for the first time at home in the return fixture a week later at Principality Stadium to open the Under Armour Summer Series.

Home and away clashes with Ireland, in Cardiff on August 31 and in Dublin on September 7 follow before Wales board the plane for Japan and begin their 2019 RWC campaign.

“Under Armour, as our official technical partner, have collaborated with our senior international players during a rigorous design and testing process and produced an impressively technically proficient set of kits befitting of the Wales jersey’s status as a national symbol,” said a WRU spokesperson.

“The players will be the pride of Wales when they leave for Japan and we are delighted to be able to reveal the kit that will ensure they ‘look the part’ as they represent the nation on a global stage at the Rugby World Cup.

“We know they will be taken into the hearts of their hosts as well as many neutral observers alongside the ardent travelling Welsh fans and the millions watching on screens around the world.

“Together with a design steeped in history and symbolism, Under Armour have once again also produced an impressive raft of innovative, custom-made features to meet the performance needs of both our elite men’s and women’s squads and we are grateful to them for providing a uniform fit for battle for the campaigns ahead.”

Rugby World Cup (RWC) jerseys, featuring the tournament logo, are available to pre-order now from store.wru.co.uk in both authentic and replica versions and ‘home’ (traditional red) and ‘alternate’ (forest green) colours.

Supporters will be able to access pre-orders and see jerseys in shops from July 20 and will also be able to buy the traditional jersey branded with shirt sponsor Isuzu, worn at all matches outside of RWC, from this time, alongside a full range of related technical training clothing and leisurewear.