Best Rugby Shirts For Kids 2021

The coolest new kits for kids to wear on the field and in the stands this season

Best Rugby Shirts For Kids

Donning the jersey of your favourite team is a rite of passage that all of us remember fondly from our youth, and young rugby fans today are spoiled for choice – no matter their team, there are loads of great options of kits for kids to wear.

By and large these shirts are the same as the ‘pro’ style adult jerseys, which means they’re not exactly the same as the ones the players wear, but they’re pretty damn close, and will certainly do the job for kids to wear whether they’re playing rugby, cheering their team on from the stands, or just wearing every day.. Below are our pick of the best options for kids’ rugby shirts in 2020 – and we also have a guide on the best rugby boots for kids.

Best Rugby Shirts For Kids

Umbro England Rugby 2021/22 Home Replica

 

Credit: England Rugby Store

+ Looks very similar to version worn by the pros
+ Squared off neckline
+ Silicone England cress and head-applied double diamond logo

After seven years with rugby mainstay Canterbury, England jumped ship to British kit supplier Umbro last season – Umbro might be more famous for the company’s long soccer pedigree, but the brand has a long history with rugby, having supplied various test teams in the 70s and 80s, including the British and Irish Lions.

After playing things safe last season, this year’s home shirt is a little more out there, with a bold red side panel that harks back to the classic England shirts worn in 2003 for their victorious World Cup campaign.

Macron Wales 2021/22 Home Replica Junior

Credit: Macron

+ Subtle sublimated chevron pattern
+ ‘Anrhydedd’ embossed on back of neck
+ Made of 100% recycled material

The Welsh Rugby Union switched to Macron from Under Armour last season, and that means that for the first time in the professional era, Wales have moved from a two-year kit cycle to annual releases – something that’s frustrating for fans but at least keeps things fresh on the pitch.

The new shirt is a slightly more modern take on the Wales recipe than last year’s super-retro design, with a subtle pinstriped chevron pattern on the top, low-profile collar and subtle touches, like the embossed word ‘Anrhydedd’ (honour) on the back of the neck. Like other Macron shirts this season, it’s made of 100% recycled material.

Macron Scotland 2021/22 Replica Home Junior

Credit: Macron

+ Purple and blue trim represents Scottish Saltire and a thistle
+ Made of recycled plastic bottles
+ Embossed thistle motif on back and sides

Scotland might play in dark blue but for 2021/22 they’re going green, as long-time kit partner Macron has created this year’s jerseys using Eco-Armevo – a polyester fabric that is made of 100% recycled plastic bottles.

On the design front this is a more modern design than last year’s 150th anniversary kit, with striking blue and purple trim designed to nod the Saltire and thistle, while the back and sides of the shirt are replete with an embossed thistle motif.

Adidas New Zealand All Blacks 2021/22 Home Shirt Junior

All Blacks top

Credit: Adidas

+ Iconic black jersey
+ Comfortable pinstriped open collar
+ Made of Primeblue recycled plastic

The All Blacks jersey is the most iconic design in rugby, and one of the most instantly recognisable in sport, and as such long-term kit supplier Adidas doesn’t mess around too much with the formula.

This year’s jersey is even more subtle than most, with the only colour accent outside of the logos being a subtle white pinstripe around the open-necked collar. The jersey is also made of Primeblue, which is a material made of 50% Parley ocean plastic.

Canterbury British & Irish Lions 2021 Pro Shirt Junior

Credit: Lions Rugby Store

+ Lion graphic on shoulders
+ Good until 2024
+ Hard-wearing Vapodri fabric

Things might not have gone to plan for the Lions in South Africa this summer, but the great thing about a Lions jersey is that, unlike so many other sports kits that barely have a 12-month lifespan before they’re rendered obsolete, it has long-term shelf-life.

With the next Lions kit unlikely to be revealed until the end of 2023 at the earliest, there’s every chance your child will grow out of this kit before the new one has arrived, and with the tour now over, there are serious reductions to be had all over the place.

Canterbury Ireland Pro 2021/22 Home Jersey Junior

Credit: Canterbury

+ 3D Injection Moulded IRFU crest
+ Vapodri fabric offers excellent moisture wicking
+ Sublimated graphics on sleeves and side panels

Ireland have been with Canterbury since 2016 and in that time they’ve created jerseys for Ireland that have been both traditional and a bit more modern and unconventional.

While perhaps not quite as bold as last year’s black and green patterned shirt, this features an abstract pattern on the sleeves and side panels, complete with a low-profile collar design that is borrowed from the Lions 2021 jersey worn in South Africa.

Fiji 2021/22 Nike Kids Home Shirt

Credit: Nike

+ Striking modernist design
+ Masi art on sleeves
+ Dynamic asymmetrical print

Fiji are everyone’s second team, whether it’s 15s or 7s they are rugby’s great entertainers. And so the rugby apparel world exploded when it was revealed that they would become one of the very few teams in rugby to sign with Nike this season.

The hype was real, but the first Fiji XVs shirt has not disappointed – first worn to take on the All Blacks this summer and throughout their Autumn Nations Series tests, it’s one of the most dynamic shirts in test rugby.

Harlequins 2021/22 Adidas Home Kids Shirt

Credit: Lovell Rugby

+ Iconic quartered design
+ Worn by the reigning champions
+ Tonal iconic three stripes on shoulders

Quins shocked everyone last season by swashbuckling their way to the Premiership title by playing an exhilarating style of attacking rugby driven by the club’s hugely exciting young English core – winning themselves plenty of new fans and the admiration of neutrals along the way.

If your child wants to emulate the likes of Marcus Smith, Alex Dombrandt, Danny Care or even Joe Marler, this modern take on the classic and iconic Quins quartered jersey is a suitably bold statement.

Ospreys 2021/22 Umbro Junior Home Shirt

Credit: Umbro

+ Rubberised crest and double diamond logo
+ Subtle tone-on-tone graphics
+ Modern take on crew neckline

The Ospreys jersey has been one of the most popular club shirts in Britain over the last two decades, and with new kit supplier Umbro on board, and the team on the up with a squad packed with Wales stars like Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, George North and Gareth Anscombe, we’re sure this shirt is once again going to be a hit.

Eschewing the out-there designs that the Ospreys have been famous for, this shirt’s tonal graphics are still bold and modern, while keeping things sleek and classic for one of this season’s most classy designs.

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