Rugby
ESPN staff 5y

Wallabies to wear Indigenous jersey against England at Twickenham

Rugby

The Wallabies will don an Indigenous playing strip for a second time when they face England in the last of their end-of-year internationals next month.

After debuting the jersey in last year's 22-17 victory over the All Blacks in Brisbane, there had been a concerted push for the Wallabies to wear the Indigenous design again and, perhaps, even permanently.

But Rugby Australia decided to wait for the appropriate opportunity, before settling on the Test with arch rivals England at Twickenham on November 24.

The Wallabies will be hoping the jersey brings a return of good fortune with Michael Cheika's side having lost their last three Tests at the home of English rugby, dating back to the 32-17 loss to the All Blacks in the final of Rugby World Cup 2015.

"It is an absolute privilege to wear the gold jersey every time you get to represent your country on the rugby field and having the opportunity to wear the Indigenous design has a special significance," Wallabies captain Michael Hooper said.

"The whole team was really honoured to run out in the Indigenous jersey last year to recognise not only the role of Indigenous players in the Wallabies throughout history, but as a broader recognition of Indigenous culture and its importance in our country.

"I was pleased that we were able to play in a way that was fitting of the occasion in Brisbane last year and we are very keen to come up with a strong performance again in London at the end of our tour.

"New Zealand and England are two of our closest rivals on the sporting field, no matter what sport you talk about, so I think it's very fitting that we will play our first two matches in this special jersey against these two teams."

The Wallabies have lost their last five Tests against England.

Cheika will name a squad for the third Bledisloe Cup game against New Zealand in Japan on Thursday, while a group of other players will join the team for the European leg after that match.

^ Back to Top ^