Rugby shorts are a type of shorts that are worn while playing rugby. They are designed to take the strains of the game and have traditionally been made from

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

IRB Regulations on shorts

Law 4 of the

International Rugby Board World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international ru ...

(IRB) Laws of the Game of Rugby Union 2010 relates to the clothing that a player may wear while playing

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

. In particular: *Law 4.4 (c) states that: ''"A player must not wear any items containing buckles, clips, rings, hinges, zippers, screws, bolts or rigid material or projection."'' * Law 4.4 (f) states that: ''"A player must not wear shorts with padding sewn into them".''

Fit

Shorts should be comfortable, as tight shorts increase the chances of sustaining a serious injury. The longer and baggier shorts are, the easier it will be for opponents to pull an opponent back. The colour and style of shorts are determined by the players club.

Construction

Rugby shorts must be able to withstand punishment and should be thick enough to provide some protection while playing. Most have pockets and many have a drawstring to prevent them coming down when tackled. While the most popular material has been cotton, modern shorts can also be made from higher grade polyester with reinforced seams. The use of these shorts is increasing as they are lighter, more durable, more comfortable, and better retain their color compared to traditional cotton shorts.

Variations

Tag rugby Tag-rugby belt Tag rugby, or flag rugby, is a non-contact team game in which each player wears a belt that has two velcro tags attached to it, or shorts with velcro patches. The mode of play is based on rugby league with many similarities to to ...

shorts are generally lighter due to the non-contact nature of the sport and have tags attached with

velcro Velcro, officially known as Velcro IP Holdings LLC and trading as Velcro Companies, is a British privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s. It is the original manufacturer of hook-and-loop fast ...

patches.

Underwear

The use of hard plastic padding of any kind, including abdominal guards (box), is forbidden in most leagues. However, unpadded jock straps can be used to provide support and prevent groin injuries. In the United States, the high-padding of

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

has influenced some junior leagues to allow, or in some cases require, abdominal guards and jock straps.

Manufacturers of rugby shorts

Canterbury of New Zealand Canterbury of New Zealand (commonly referred to simply as Canterbury) is a New Zealand sports equipment manufacturing company focused on rugby. The company originated from the Canterbury region in New Zealand. Canterbury of New Zealand was esta ...

is the most popular producer of rugby kit.

Kooga BLK (initials for "Beyond Limits Known") is an Australian sporting goods manufacturing company which was established in 1999 in the city of Gold Coast in Queensland. The overall but now heavily transitioned company has origins as far back as ...

are a very popular supplier, particularly to

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

teams. Paladin Sports is also a very popular manufacturer for both Union & League, as is Triple Play from Australia.

References

External links

Donnacha O'Callaghan tries to play with no shorts
{{Rugby union equipment Rugby league equipment Rugby union equipment Sportswear Trousers and shorts