Rugby news 2021: Wallabies’ new jersey to honour Indigenous heritage

The Wallabies will unveil a subtle but significant change to their iconic gold jersey before kicking off their Rugby Championship campaign on the Gold Coast.

The new Wallabies rugby Test jumper will have a special feature.

The Wallabies will unveil a permanent addition to their iconic gold jersey on Wednesday, with First Nations artwork set to adorn player numbers in all future Test matches.

The new number design will debut at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday when the Wallabies take on South Africa in their first clash of the 2021 Rugby Championship.

It is the first time an Australian representative team will don both the coat of arms and a First Nations design in its primary playing strip.

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The move is a nod to the popularity of the First Nations jerseys worn for the first time in NAIDOC Week 2017 and most prominently at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

In 2018 former scrumhalf Will Genia called for the jersey to be worn in every Test.

Indigenous artwork will be permanently incorporated into the numbers on Wallabies’ jerseys.

Three years later his wish will be at least partially granted, with Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay artist Dennis Golding’s original design to be incorporated into the playing numbers of all future jerseys.

The full Indigenous jersey will return against Argentina in Townsville in two weeks.

The design features symbols representing the 14 Indigenous players to have represented Australia in rugby union.

In 2019 Kurtley Beale, the only Indigenous Wallaby to have played in the jersey, said the design was “a great symbol”.

“It’s showing us representing All Australians, but importantly, the First Nations people,” he said.

“It’s a great acknowledgment and it’s a great show of respect of what this can do for our country, for our society as a whole.

“It’s a great symbol that will hopefully unite Australians to get behind and support and encourage all the way to the end.

“That’s how powerful it can be and hopefully that’s what it will do.”

Earlier this year a panel of former players voted to standardise the shade of gold in future Wallabies jerseys. The shade worn in the victorious 1991 Rugby World Cup campaign was the winner.

The Wallabies’ Indigenous jersey was a big hit at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

THORN’S BIG CALL TO BOOST WALLABIES

—Russell Gould

Get James O’Connor in and start prop Taniela Tupou rather than bringing him off the bench.

That’s the message for Wallabies coach Dave Rennie from his counterpart at the Reds, Brad Thorn, as the Australians try to turnaround a Bledisloe Cup whitewash against South Africa this weekend.

Biased as he may be towards his own Queensland players, Thorn also only knows rugby success, as an All Black himself and now as a coach having taken the Reds to a Super Rugby AU triumph.

The Reds had just one starter in the Wallabies team in last Sunday’s third-straight loss to the Kiwis, halfback Tate McDermott, who Thorn declared was “best on ground”.

But the availability of O’Connor after a long injury lay-off should move Rennie to inject more of a Reds feel against the Springboks.

“As a Queenslander, yeah, I’d like to see more of it,” Thorn said. “I thought Tate was maybe best on ground over the last two Tests, he’s just killing it.

Reds coach Brad Thorn has urged the Wallabies to pick James O’Connor for Australia’s opening game of the Rugby Championship. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

“You have Taniela [Tupou] and Jordan [Petaia], but there’s been injuries and guys who have gone back for the birth of their children.

“Our job here is to help these guys upskill and become better people and better rugby players.

“It’s their time now and they’re picking the best team they feel can get the job done.”

Thorn said the experience of O’Connor, who captained the Reds this year “would be of benefit to the Wallabies” after the struggles of fly half Noah Lolesio against the All Blacks.

“He‘s (O’Connor) got experience as a 30-plus year old guy and did a great job for us this year and that experience you’d think would be a benefit to the Wallabies,” he said.

Thorn also said Tupou was “like no-one on the planet” and would benefit from more minutes.

“He’s a small man trapped in a 140kg body, he can chip and chase, his exuberance.

“I thought in the French series he and Tatey were two of the standout guys.

“I‘m sure they’ll be looking at all of that.”

“My job as a Queenslander and Australian is to just support them on that. Obviously, I would love to see more Queenslanders but I think every coach all around the other states would say the same thing.”

Originally published as Rugby news 2021: Wallabies’ new jersey to honour Indigenous heritage