The worst rugby jersey fashion fails

English fans were blinded by designs for the sevens jerseys. Photo / Twitter.

The new Wallaby jersey has not gone down well. Sports kit is never far from the headlines - we take a quick look at some great moments in rugby jersey designs.

1) England designers at sixes and sevens

English fans were blinded by designs for the sevens jerseys a couple of years ago that one newspaper described as "a psychedelic strip that resembles a 1980s arcade game". In one of the great moments in jersey design, rugby officials reckoned pixelation had been used to "portray the DNA of the rose". (see photo above)

2) Fitzy spews

Sydney Morning Herald columnist Peter FitzSimons, a former test forward, this week recalled getting an early peek at a new Wallaby jersey in 1997. He was immediately inspired to pen a column describing it as looking like "volcano vomit" amongst other things.

The 1997 Wallabies shirt.

3) Not All Blacks

The All Blacks used a weird grey and black number to avoid a clash with France in THAT 2007 World Cup quarter final in Cardiff. The jerseys looked like the work of the people involve in creating New Zealand cricket one-day uniforms. At least that famous loss meant the jersey has never been seen again

The 2007 All Blacks jersey.

4) Brace yourself

Supporters of Austrian rugby - yes there is such a thing apparently - came up with a jersey design that included boring brown braces.

Braces anyone?

5) Stade but never staid

Stade Francais are the kings of weird rugby jersey designs. A typical effort came in 2008 which featured faces of Parisienne 13th-century heroine Blanche de Castille, the wife of Louis VIII, in a multi-coloured design "in the fashion of Andy Warhol".