The five New Zealand Super Rugby teams have unveiled their 2022 playing jerseys with plenty of culture and regional pride on display.
All five franchises released their playing kits for the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific competition on Monday along with training jerseys.
In the north, the Blues opted for a dark blue jersey as their home kit and a white jersey with blue diamonds for their away games.
The club said the feature that runs through the centre of the home jersey represents the meeting point of the four tides, as it does at Cape Reinga in Northland.
The blues of the jersey also represent the great migrations that are an integral part of New Zealand's history, made possible by the waters that surround the region.
The away jersey was created to reflect the club’s championship history, paying homage to their first titles back in the 1990s with the iconic diamonds from the team’s 1997 jersey reused for 2022.
In the Waikato, the Chiefs have once again paid tribute to their region, whānau and Māori heritage with their jerseys.
The club said the home jersey - 'Ngā hihi o te rā [the rays of the sun] - draws on inspiration from Tamanuiterā [the sun], using the sun’s rays to accentuate their home colours.
The lower kōwhaiwhai depict the flow of waterways throughout the region connecting the Chiefs whānau, sponsors, members, players, clubs and supporters.
The Chiefs’ away jersey - 'He Piringa Pāua' - was designed using the vibrant colouring of the pāua shell and is inspired by the Māori saying, 'Ka haere te pāua ki te toka, he piringa pāua’ - the pāua will go to the rock and cling to it fiercely.
The club said the saying reflects the Chiefs’ own mindset when playing away from home in that they will battle resiliently.
Like the home jersey, the flowing kōwhaiwhai represent connecting waterways which will always carry the team back home.
Further south, the Hurricanes opted to pay homage to the club’s original jersey with the return of the blue stripe.
"Our jersey features a pattern inspired by our mighty winds, a source of our strength, reflecting both the traditional narrative from our region and our unstoppable momentum," Hurricanes CEO Avan Lee said.
"The blue stripes are a throwback to the Hurricanes very first Super Rugby jersey. The blue stripe on the original jersey is iconic, so we are really pleased to see its return with a new modern take."
In the South Island, the Crusaders have made one of the more bold design changes for their 2022 jerseys, opting to place the Southern Alps front and centre on both jerseys.
The mountain range features six peaks, representing the six provincial unions - Buller, Canterbury, Mid-Canterbury, South-Canterbury, Tasman and West-Coast – the franchise plays for.
"From the mountains, to the sea, we're bound by a common purpose, a shared goal to achieve great things. It's not about the individual mountain. When we're united, we can't be moved,” the club said in a statement.
"Brought together through the substance of our colours - Mā pango mā whero, ka oti te mahi. With black and red, we will achieve."
For the Highlanders, the theme of their jerseys was “heritage remixed”.
Both jerseys feature a modernised tartan pattern to represent the many members of our organisation and wider community weaving together.
The home jersey is still mostly blue but after years of vibrant colours, the club has opted for a predominantly maroon jersey for their away kit which they say represents the wider region of North Otago and Southland.
Super Rugby Pacific is scheduled to kick off on February 18 next year.
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