Australia, 1999
In many people’s eyes, this jersey is objectively the greatest to ever grace the Rugby World Cup. Granted, many of those eyes are Australian, however even the most ardent Pom can admit this green and gold number has few competitors at the top of the rugby jersey tree.
Evocative of the golden era of John Eales, George Gregan and Stephen Larkham among others, it’s not just the memories of lifting the trophy in ’99 that makes this jersey iconic. The semi-final win against South Africa after extra time, a nail-biting 18-18 draw with the reigning world champions ending in a 27-21 victory (don’t forget the Larkham drop goal), followed by a 35-12 victory over an attacking French side in the final, was a certainly an unforgettable finishing straight.
But moreover, there is something about the design of this shirt that is perfectly representative of the time, straddling the border between the old and the new, the nostalgic and the futuristic.
On the one hand, this debut from Reebok was a distinctly traditional silhouette, a loose-fitting cotton look that would be right at home at any previous World Cup. But with the return of makers’ logos, the green and white short sleeves and the detailing of the Southern Cross over the right shoulder, this shirt tells the story of rugby’s departure from an amateur era. Four years on from the success of South Africa ’95, a time where creativity in jersey design was still being quashed by governing bodies, rugby was now a sport on the open market, in a new commercial world where shirt sales mattered and where plain and boring no longer made the cut. For these reasons, this is the archetypal ‘timeless’ rugby jersey.
Despite its popularity, this was to be Reebok’s only World Cup effort for the Wallabies, a swift return to Canterbury following in 2003. That being said, Reebok’s bold choices had left their mark, the latter design essentially a rip off from four years’ previous. The only real change for their defence of the World Cup on home soil was a return to the traditional deep gold from the watered-down yellow of ’99.
However, this was a change that also came with a change of hands on the trophy. The Reebok jersey subsequently remains the last Aussie World Cup winning shirt (in rugby, at least), and that’s not looking likely to change any time soon. Even if it does, there’s no chance that future jersey could surpass the suave, stylish and sentimentality of ’99.
