Every 2023 Rugby World Cup shirt, ranked from toothpaste to seagulls

Hello rugby readers and lost fashion enthusiasts. The tournament may be underway but you still have time to pick up that shirt you have been saving for – but which one should you buy, I hear you scream?

Perhaps Telegraph Sport’s helpful ranking of all 40 kits at the World Cup will help with your decision.

We’ve stuck purely to shirt, with shorts and socks not considered, given that trying to find good images of full rugby kits takes up more time than it really should.

In terms of suppliers, here is a quick breakdown of who is most and least represented in France:

Macron as you can see are the clear winner, making kits for Georgia, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Samoa, Scotland and Wales.

Pop in the comments once you’re done to tell us which kits you like, and which have made you feel slightly ill.

40. New Zealand (alternate)

First thought: you can do more with the fancy fern design (more on that later). Has an air of the kind of retro sporting attire you would wear to paint the second bedroom on a Sunday. Meaning, you really don’t care that much about it. Maybe that’s because of the cream colour. No idea which shorts and socks it will go with but I don’t see what we’re meant to be excited about here.

39. Samoa (alternate)

A bit harsh maybe to have it this low but a bit like the home strip to come, the details are just a bit too reserved. Show them off. Going to look better with (presumably) navy shorts. 2019’s offering had a fully blue sleeve featuring a tattoo and red trims, so this is a step back.

38. Ireland (home)

Not entirely convinced by that shade of green – as noted elsewhere, feels a bit toothpaste – and the whole offering is pretty safe. And by safe, you should read boring. Did they shrink the crest? Collar looks like it was added with a bit of Tipp-Ex. Feels big on the technology, small on style.

37. England (home)

As noted in the England World Cup kit rankings when this was unveiled it doesn’t get close to the best in class from 1995 or 1991. Nor is it as bad as 2007. It’s just a plain white kit with some dashes which you’ll never remember.

36. New Zealand (home)

All the promo photos out there for this kit are really weird but, because it’s Adidas and the All Blacks, you are damn right there is plenty of descriptive detail to go with them. This was designed by a Parisian-based street-style designer called Fey The Wolf, “who is known for his distinctive and creative use of the colour black”. I swear I haven’t made that up, even if it sounds like I absolutely have. What you’re left with is a blend of fronds and the silver fern, apparently. Positive marks I guess for a collar and trying something, but it’s no classic.

35. Ireland (alternate)

A bit more happening here than the home version. Picking through the press release so you don’t have to, I’m assuming those small lines are “laser-cut holes for breathability”, which sounds like something Q has been working on. Appreciate the collar and sleeves do something a bit different but you’re not exactly wowed, are you.

34. Italy (alternate)

A near total inversion of the home kit aside from the laurel wreath which is now silver, so, points down for lack of originality. There are worse white kits out there, however, with this one boosted by a real collar. On the back there’s meant to be an image of a Capitoline Wolf, apparently, but it’s so subtle against the white you can’t even see it.

33. Portugal (alternate)

Tricky area to excel in, grey kits, and welcome dollops of green and red combined with various shades mean this is far from dull. Maybe the logos could have been mixed up a bit colour wise? Still, there’s far worse on this list.

32. France (alternate)

Comes paired with blue shorts and red socks, so a tweak on the Tricolore. The boat could probably have been pushed out more here – remember the red number from 2015? Of course you do. All in all, it’s... fine.

31. Australia (alternate)

One of those were you feel obliged to check the marketing blurb to see if there’s anything to nudge it higher. The Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay artist Dennis Golding designed the artwork on the panels and it’s certainly an upgrade on most plain white kits. That’s all to be said on the matter.

30. Chile (alternate)

Good news for condor enthusiasts, with an incredibly obvious feather graphic. Wouldn’t have looked out of place at the France 1998 football World Cup with that kind of design, which makes you feel pure dread inside that the late 1990s are now retro. Sleeves stripes a plus.

29. Italy (home)

Macron’s thinking here for this World Cup – the kit manufacturer, not the president – for some teams centred on trying to find elements of each team’s crest or history which they could then supersize across the whole kit. Hence why you have Caesar’s laurel wreath wrapped across the front. Decent collar and colour, but a bit more red and green might have been nice.

28. Wales (alternate)

Straight out of a liquorice allsorts bag was the first reaction, until you remember they are going for a flag of Saint David vibe. Feel like the test for Welsh alternative kits is can you see it being worn down Chippy Alley at 3am. The 2019 green version? No. This one? Quite possibly, especially with that collar.

27. Tonga (alternate)

Enough going on here to help this climb out of the collection of more boring white kits at the tournament, with plenty of red and the same pattern from the home kit. Team crest pops more as well. Respectable.

26. England (alternate)

Like this more now than when it was unveiled. The dashes make more sense than on the home kit, the red trim on the sleeves works, the panels are still a bit Marvel-y but I don’t hate it. Not as good as the 1999 navy strip or maybe even 2019’s red offering. You’ll see a lot of it, with England wearing it against Argentina and Japan. Losing to Fiji in it is unlikely to help sales.

25. Wales (home)

Not a ton to quibble with here, really. Nice proper white collar, pinstripe sleeves look good, the right shade of red. Barely remembered the 2019 edition, unlike the 2015 which had hints of gold on it. Will I remember this by 2027? Probably not, unless Wales either win the World Cup or crash out in a hurry.

24. Georgia (home)

Kept things very simple (and dull) four years ago so this is a welcome injection of design. “Striking red” is how the jargon describes the colour and it is not wrong. That really is a huge Georgian crest – the Borjgali, an “ancient pagan symbol representing the sun, light and eternity” – and yet it’s also somehow not offensive, which takes some doing.

23. France (home)

Maybe it’s the weight of expectation and designers internally wondering how the trophy photos might look in 20 years time, but France have kept this incredibly straightforward, save for the enormous red crest on the right. Not pictured are white shorts and red socks; can you see what they were going for?

22. Samoa (home)

Opted for a blue here tempting enough for you to swim in it, with lots of small nods to Samoa including the “Pulatama” tattoo on the side and some seagulls, which aren’t that easy to spot at first until you whack the brightness up. Nowhere near the worst, nor threatening the top.

21. Scotland (alternate)

Probably a proper collar away from actually doing some damage near the top of the rankings, because it’s hard not to like the tartan trim on the sleeves. Also finding it hard to say much more about it so... probably deserves to be here.

20. Tonga (home)

Luring you in given its unique shirt designer and interesting pattern, so let me help with both of those. FXV are a French company (Force XV) and the design is the kupesi tokelaufeletoa. Altogether, it’s good. Nice touches on the collar and shoulders to go with a lively shade of red.

19. Chile (home)

Welcome Chile. Fresh teams welcomingly mean fresh stash and there’s not a ton to be upset by here, although it might have gone higher with a collar. Central pattern feels like looking at an ice cube tray and cursing why they haven’t all frozen correctly. It’s actually meant to be “a striking geometric pattern replicating the outline of the Condor’s wings”. Ah, whoops.

18. Scotland (home)

Lovely big tartan graphics down the sides and a nice trim on the sleeves featuring a couple of thin stripes. Better than the 2019 version which had tartan over the shoulders and a weird collar. This is more like 2015’s, when Scotland had their hearts broken in the quarter-finals by Australia. Reaching the knockouts at all given their group would be an accomplishment. 

17. Uruguay (home)

Quite liked the 2019 offering which featured one massive sun and a hint of yellow, whereas this is a bit flashier from Flash (sorry). Plenty of suns this time and an intriguing shoulder pattern which I can find no info about whatsoever. For a one-colour kit, this does quite well.

16. South Africa (alternate)

When even the designer describes the kit as “bold”, you know you’re in choppy waters. Somewhat torn by whether it’s merely a discarded sevens kit or actually a really fun concept. Would be somewhat hypocritical to criticise a kit for being a bit much when others in this list are so dull, but I also don’t know if I can look at it hungover. It’s punchy and polarising.

15. Namibia (home)

We’re trying something here. Blue pattern reminiscent of opening up a paint tin after too long and realising you need to stir it – the red trim on the the shoulders though looks great. Have searched high and low for any blurb from BLK to figure out what it all means but no sign of anything, which means this kit is essentially modern art for you to interpret.

14. Georgia (alternate)

Exact same template as the home kit, but better? Blend of burgundy, crest design look good and it’s the same collar but somehow looking sharper. Would love to see it without the obvious stitching, which knocks it down a bit.

13. Australia (home)

See ya later yellow, we’re back to Wallaby Gold at a World Cup. Can get on board with a lot here but the collar’s a nope. A lot going on in the background with “an eye-catching upgraded Coat of Arms in a raised metallic finish” – I honestly didn’t notice it. The 1991 and 1999 classics don’t need to lose any sleep, but this is good.

12. Portugal (home)

Torn with this one. You are working with an excellent colour palate, and it’s very nice, but perhaps it could be slightly better. Gold logos makes sense linking back to the flag but might have looked better in white. Two-tone red, green trims, subtle Portuguese shields, it’s all working – just not completely blowing the doors off.

11. Japan (home)

Very, very similar to 2019 but with a strip added to the collar and more gold, so we’re already off to a good start. In fact the gold is meant to represent the sun reflecting off Mount Fuji, which is the kind of elaborate detail you’re just not getting elsewhere, is it. Definitely a top half kit, but top 10? Not quite.

10. Romania (home)

Heritage designs kept to the sleeves allowing the yellow to be turned up to 11. Always a little bold going for two sleeves featuring different colours, but this works. That’s blue by the way on the left, not black, with the designs inspired by the Călușarii. There’s more in the release about how they used to perform a dance which would bring “well-being and drive away evil spirits”, but you’ve already won me over, Macron.

9. Namibia (alternate)

Initially quite forgettable until you get to those lovely blue side panels, which are small enough that you’re now spending longer than you expected trying to work out what’s on them, aren’t you. Practically entices you to look up flights to Windhoek. Also proof to other teams that you can have a alternate white kit but still make it really interesting.

8. Uruguay (alternate)

Well, hello there. Cannot find any images of this on the world wide web without the anonymous arms, neck and stubble (apologies), but it’s a cracker, golden like the sun with some light blue accents including the team crest. Get used to this because you’ll see a lot of it in the pool stages, Uruguay are in it for three of their four games.

7. Japan (alternate)

Nearly the exact same design as the 2019 alternate strip, again, which is rare continuity. Maybe they just dug them out and ironed a new RWC logo on there. Anyway, it was a hit four years ago and is again here. Comes in “an elegant blue shade”, Canterbury tell me, and who am I to disagree. Yes to the gold accents, yes to the Japanese designs. Would... actually buy this.

6. Fiji (alternate)

Hardly putting my neck on the line here when projecting that this will sell like mad. A whiff of that small independent cocktail bar you once went to where everything inside was done to peak excess, but you had the best time ever as documented by your 20 stories on Instagram. The more lively kits on a list like this the better, and oh, this is lively alright.

5. Argentina (home)

Effortless and quite classy, helped by having an actual collar. 2019’s offering lacked that, had a presumptuous gold tick and a worse badge, so we’re really trending upwards. You can see it this Saturday when Argentina face England (and will probably win).

4. Romania (alternate)

Oh my, that is a delight. Breaks with most of the other Macron offerings by keeping the detail solely on the sleeves and it’s so much nicer for it, with those colourful plant motifs there to “evoke nature, its cycles and the importance of the rhythm of life and its dynamism”. That is some prime kit PR work and I’m lapping it up.

3. South Africa (home)

Here come Nike for their big Springbok return and it’s a smash hit, with a chunky gold collar featuring an appealing detail showing the Springbok flag. Happy to look past the breathability elements given how well Nike stuck to the traditional brief while adding touches of flair. Would go as far to say it’s the best RWC kit South Africa have worn since 1999 – also made by Nike.

2. Fiji (home)

Here we go. Proof that you can do a white kit and it doesn’t have to be boring. Big, bold collar and sleeve cuffs, subtle but intriguing design down the sides. Impressive given how it doesn’t overdo anything and yet leaves so many other white kits here in the dust. Crisp.

1. Argentina (alternate)

A sash at No 1. I’m almost as surprised as you are. Gives us off a regal aura – which checks out given it’s inspired by Argentina’s grenadiers – and the official colour is ‘obsidian’, which merely adds to the extravagance of at all and will lead to you reading up on your volcanos (trust me). Sometimes ranking these kits just comes down to instinct, and this is an absolute beauty.

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