adidas Unveils New British & Irish Lions Red Shirt; Chance to Win Tickets

Adidas has unveiled the 125th anniversary British & Irish Lions shirt for the 2013 tour of Australia.

Celebrating 125 years of the Lions touring team, the new Lions shirt carries a unique Lions 125 logo in gold colour on the back neck.

The authentic Lions shirt along with the replica jersey, training jerseys, anthem jacket, polo and tees are available at the adidas Sport Performance Centre, selected adidas Shops and GigaSports for the first time in Hong Kong.

Warren Gatland, Head Coach of the British & Irish Lions, said, “I am really honoured to have been asked to take the position of head coach for the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour however there is no question it will be one hell of a challenge. Playing in the southern hemisphere is one of rugby’s hardest challenges. The Lions came close in South Africa and our ambition is to win the series in 2013, and I believe we have the players to do that.”

The 125th anniversary British & Irish Lions shirt. Click to enlarge.

“The new adidas jersey means a lot to us as it celebrates the 125th anniversary of the Lions and pays tribute to our glorious moments. A Lions tour is unique; it is the ultimate career pinnacle for coaches and players. My job is to ensure that we get the tour environment right, we need to be hugely competitive and make our fans proud of their team,” he added. “The Hong Kong game will be a very important match for us and will be treated as the first match of the 10-match tour. Renowned for its love of rugby and fan base, I believe Hong Kong to be the perfect place to kick start the enthusiasm and atmosphere that we aim to build throughout the tour and will allow the squad to get a taste of things to come!”

Design of the New British & Irish Lions Red Shirt for 2013 Tour of Australia

The new British & Irish Lions shirt uses the traditional collar design in link to the 1997 jersey, the last tour which the Lions won. The green neck tape brings in all four nations - England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales - into the kit for the first time. Another key design feature is the enlarged Lions crest which is made up from 22,500 stitches on left chest of the shirt, paying tribute to the 97 winning tour team.

Technology of the Shirt

The authentic shirt also features engineered mesh ClimaCool fabric for maximum breathability and strength. Inspired by the first ever Lions jersey worn in 1888 on the Australia tour, the mesh is in hoop form and is a subtle design feature linking with the heritage of the Lions. The replica jersey, on the other hand, uses a deboss roller print to replicate the engineering on the shirt. The authentic jersey features the FORMOTION fit which is designed specifically for the rugby game, built using players measurements and created via a 3D pattern for maximum comfort.

Win Free Tickets

From now till 30 April 2013, upon purchase of the Lions collection at the adidas Sport Performance Centre, rugby fans can join a game to win free match tickets by submitting “The reason I love the British & Irish Lions” to rmhk@adidas.com. Five participants with the best answers will win two free tickets each to the Lions’ match against the Barbarian on 1 June 2013. Winners will be notified for the prize redemption in May 2013.

As there are so many Pictures of The British and Irish Lions v The Barbarians in Hong Kong we have cut them up into different pages for your viewing pleasure. Other pages include: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7 and Page 8.