If you watch footage of rugby matches from the nineties, you’ll notice quite a few differences. One of the most obvious is that modern rugby players wear tight shirts. Why has the style changed so much? Is it just a matter of fashion? No, there are very serious match-winning reasons for tight shirts. Why Do … Read more
You’ve probably noticed that many professional rugby players have a lump on the back of their shirts between their shoulder blades. This is often called a GPS tracker, but these devices measure a lot more than the position on the pitch. This article takes an in-depth look at trackers in rugby. What is the Lump … Read more
When you watch a rugby match, you may notice that some players wear shoulder pads and some don’t. It’s not as obvious as in American Football where the pads are much bigger. But why are shoulder pads much smaller in Rugby Union? And why don’t all players wear them? Read on for some fascinating answers. … Read more
The first time I saw grip spray used in rugby was during the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour in South Africa. The Lions were playing an invitational team, the Royal XVs. A young Irish winger kept dropping the ball, and a physio came onto the pitch and vigorously sprayed his palms. It’s fairly common … Read more
This article isn’t about trophies. We review whether rugby players wear protective cups under their shorts. We take a look at the laws around protective gear, and why some players prefer to wear cups and some never do. But first, let’s look quickly at what kind of kit we’re talking about. Cups, Jockstraps, And Compression … Read more
Many players like to stretch a new pair of rugby boots before playing a competitive match. But don’t believe everything you hear or read about how to stretch your footwear. The wrong advice can damage the material in modern rugby boots. This article gives you our best recommendations. And we’ll point out some techniques to … Read more
When you watch a rugby match, you’ll notice that players don’t wear eye black. This is in contrast to sports like American football and baseball. Could a rugby player gain an advantage on the field by wearing the eye grease or stickers that NFL players use? Or would they be told by the referee that … Read more
If you look closely at the arms of rugby players, you’ll notice that many write messages on the tape wrapped around their wrists. A few years ago, the World Rugby authorities tried to crack down on this practice. But they relaxed their stance after a clamor of protest. Let’s take a look at what and … Read more
When you watch a rugby match, you’ll probably notice that some players wear tape around their wrists. This article takes a detailed look at why rugby players do so. And if you’re starting out in rugby and would like to give tape a try, we’ve got some advice on how to do it properly. Why … Read more
If you watch footage of the 2003 Rugby World Cup, you’ll notice that a lot of players were wearing gloves. You’re far less likely to see gloves on a rugby pitch now. As the days get a little colder, you may be thinking that a cozy pair of gloves would be a perfect choice for … Read more