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Wallabies' new-look jersey for World Cup
By Jim Tucker
THE Wallabies will wear a fresh, bold gold jersey during their 2011 World Cup campaign after a yet-to-be-announced split from their supplier of the past nine years, Canterbury.
The jersey look is still top-secret but The Daily Telegraph can reveal that the green piping and side panels that have tricked up one of Australian sport's iconic jerseys since the 2007 World Cup have been ditched.
Also gone are the white "spiderweb'' grip panels. There is a return to a more conventional collar.
The clean, classic design by new jersey-maker KooGa will also be in a brighter gold colour after consultation with the Australian Rugby Union and player representatives.
Confidentiality agreements with retailers, however, are keeping the release date hush-hush.
KooGa have the Melbourne Storm and Newcastle Knights as their jersey flagships in rugby league.
Fiji are the only top-tier rugby nation serviced by the Australian manufacturers to date.
Securing the Wallabies contract is a coup for the company, with the Canterbury deal coming to an end this year.
The new Wallaby jersey has a strong back-to-the-future flavour.
Andrew Slack's 1984 Wallabies won the Grand Slam wearing the classic solid gold jersey of the day with just three thin, green adidas stripes down the arm from collar to cuff.
The new direction will be applauded by former Wallabies such as 1990s winger Damian Smith, who has always thought the current jersey "lacked a little rugby integrity''.
Thankfully, there will be no return to the fashion calamity of 1997-98 when captain John Eales and teammates wore Reebok's Wallabies jerseys with their green and white jigsaw panels.
That jersey was howled down as an "SBS test pattern.''
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1225775238665