ENGLAND Rugby are ditching their much-loved Umbro kit after ending their agreement three years early.
Castore, a leading British performance sportswear brand, will become the Official Technical Kit Partner in a multi-year, long-term contract.
GettyEngland Rugby are ditching their much-loved Umbro kit[/caption]
England RugbyCastore will become the Official Technical Kit Partner in a multi-year contract[/caption]
Castore will deliver all technical playing kit, training and travel wear across England Rugby’s men’s and women’s teams.
It will also supply coaches and staff departments, uniting players and staff under a single, high-performance identity.
The long-term deal is thought to be worth in excess of £5m a season, which is a healthy increase on the rate paid by Umbro.
The change comes after Castore signed a separate agreement with Umbro last year, giving them the option to take on Umbro’s roster of supplied teams.
But fans are unhappy with the news.
Castore, founded in Liverpool in 2016, has had a series of high-profile mishaps during its sponsorship of elite teams.
It issued an apology in December after kit delivered to some Leinster fans arrived without the Irish province’s crest.
While Aston Villa players were unhappy with the amount of sweat absorbed by their shirts during their contract with Castore.
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The Premier League side ended their deal with them at the end of last season.
After England Rugby’s deal was announced, one fan raged on X: “It will be harder to tackle England players when the shirts rip right off their backs.”
Aston Villa have cancelled their contract with Castore over the wet look shirt controversy
While a second said: “Good god they are so bad! Their football shirts fall apart so who knows what will happen to a rugby shirt.”
A third wrote: “Another awful RFU decision.”
England‘s cricket team also wore mismatching Castore kits at the 2023 World Cup after a printing error.
The new kits will not be unveiled until May, after the Red Roses’ Six Nations title decider against France this Saturday.
In August, the RFU announced a deal with German insurance giant Allianz that will re-brand Twickenham over the next decade.
Allianz will reportedly bring in more than £100m in exchange for renaming the home of English rugby.
They have since added electronics firm LG to the corporate supporters of the Red Roses.
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