2011 / 2012 Leinster Jersey?

[Daithí Mac]

Lads, the gold was removed purely for marketing reasons, and in fairness it has worked very well. They will have looked at some of the greatest sporting teams in the world and seen that they all have a solid colour to which their identity is tied. It makes flags cheaper too when they don't have to mix colours to begin with, and the flags have been an enormous success. It has also led to us really taking up 'come on you boys in blue' at matches. Fans clothes are more coordinated creating a greater sensation of support amongst the crowd. Then they have launched the whole 'blue magic' initiative to support this pattern.

There is some demand for the reinstatement of the traditional colours, but that mainly consists of an unknown percentage of the 'original' supporters from the days in Donnybrook when crowds were around 2500, so overall it is probably a small enough number. It seems higher on here because the majority of posters are from this 'original ' support group and have been heavily involved with Leinster for quite some time. Since then we have been seeing average crowds of about 17000, plus a lot of casual fans who fill the Aviva regularly and who all have been institutionalised to 'believe in blue' as such. Many of these fans wouldn't even realise that gold was a Leinster colour.

I think a bright'ish blue kit works well, and is a lot more eyecatching than a navy jersey for example. Thats why I like the current HEC jersey although I didn't buy it. I have the supporters jersey from 2009 which I thought worked very well with the small amounts of yellow and the royal blue colour. I don't think it would have looked that great in a match however. Although these are my subjective feelings of course.

[Peg Leg]

Lads, the gold was removed purely for marketing reasons, and in fairness it has worked very well. They will have looked at some of the greatest sporting teams in the world and seen that they all have a solid colour to which their identity is tied. It makes flags cheaper too when they don't have to mix colours to begin with, and the flags have been an enormous success. It has also led to us really taking up 'come on you boys in blue' at matches. Fans clothes are more coordinated creating a greater sensation of support amongst the crowd. Then they have launched the whole 'blue magic' initiative to support this pattern.

There is some demand for the reinstatement of the traditional colours, but that mainly consists of an unknown percentage of the 'original' supporters from the days in Donnybrook when crowds were around 2500, so overall it is probably a small enough number. It seems higher on here because the majority of posters are from this 'original ' support group and have been heavily involved with Leinster for quite some time. Since then we have been seeing average crowds of about 17000, plus a lot of casual fans who fill the Aviva regularly and who all have been institutionalised to 'believe in blue' as such. Many of these fans wouldn't even realise that gold was a Leinster colour.

I think a bright'ish blue kit works well, and is a lot more eyecatching than a navy jersey for example. Thats why I like the current HEC jersey although I didn't buy it. I have the supporters jersey from 2009 which I thought worked very well with the small amounts of yellow and the royal blue colour. I don't think it would have looked that great in a match however. Although these are my subjective feelings of course.

Pah & meh to your logic Daithí!!

I was hoping for them to push the boat out on this one, ya know like a collage of all the important faces in Leinster rugby surrounding the harp...... or maybe... Brian O'Driscoll on a rocket!!!

But thanks for the marketing explanation the blueness makes sense!!

[Dave Cahill]

Lads, the gold was removed purely for marketing reasons, and in fairness it has worked very well. They will have looked at some of the greatest sporting teams in the world and seen that they all have a solid colour to which their identity is tied. It makes flags cheaper too when they don't have to mix colours to begin with, and the flags have been an enormous success. It has also led to us really taking up 'come on you boys in blue' at matches. Fans clothes are more coordinated creating a greater sensation of support amongst the crowd. Then they have launched the whole 'blue magic' initiative to support this pattern.

There is some demand for the reinstatement of the traditional colours, but that mainly consists of an unknown percentage of the 'original' supporters from the days in Donnybrook when crowds were around 2500, so overall it is probably a small enough number. It seems higher on here because the majority of posters are from this 'original ' support group and have been heavily involved with Leinster for quite some time. Since then we have been seeing average crowds of about 17000, plus a lot of casual fans who fill the Aviva regularly and who all have been institutionalised to 'believe in blue' as such. Many of these fans wouldn't even realise that gold was a Leinster colour.

I think a bright'ish blue kit works well, and is a lot more eyecatching than a navy jersey for example. Thats why I like the current HEC jersey although I didn't buy it. I have the supporters jersey from 2009 which I thought worked very well with the small amounts of yellow and the royal blue colour. I don't think it would have looked that great in a match however. Although these are my subjective feelings of course.

There are a couple of errors of fact in this post.

Gold is not a Leinster colour, unless one accepts that the Leinster jersey should be green. I am at this very moment in time looking at a picture of the Leinster team that played Ulster in December 1884, and they are wearing dark blue jerseys with a crest picked out in silver/white thread. Occasionally, depending on what O'Neills had available and how generous the branch were feeling, Leinsters jersey would feature a crest that had a gold harp on a green background, but it was the exception rather than the rule. It was only in the 90s, and the later 90s in particular, that gold became a regular feature of Leinster jerseys. And that WAS for Marketing reasons. As for flags, it costs precisely the same to have a blue and gold flag as it does blue and white.

[ratpack]

Does this mean I can't bring my blue and yellow chequered flag anymore?!

[johng]

I am at this very moment in time looking at a picture of the Leinster team that played Ulster in December 1884, and they are wearing dark blue jerseys with a crest picked out in silver/white thread.

How can you tell? Was the photo taken by a time traveller with a digital (colour) camera?

[Dave Cahill]

I am at this very moment in time looking at a picture of the Leinster team that played Ulster in December 1884, and they are wearing dark blue jerseys with a crest picked out in silver/white thread.

How can you tell? Was the photo taken by a time traveller with a digital (colour) camera?

A digital daguerrotype actually

[johng]

I am at this very moment in time looking at a picture of the Leinster team that played Ulster in December 1884, and they are wearing dark blue jerseys with a crest picked out in silver/white thread.

How can you tell? Was the photo taken by a time traveller with a digital (colour) camera?

A digital daguerrotype actually

If only Jack Dagger had been English. We'd probably still call it that.

[ellandleinster]

I am at this very moment in time looking at a picture of the Leinster team that played Ulster in December 1884, and they are wearing dark blue jerseys with a crest picked out in silver/white thread.

How can you tell? Was the photo taken by a time traveller with a digital (colour) camera?

A digital daguerrotype actually

ah yes the one that identifies blue shades separately from other dark shades. Commonly known as the Chelsea Daguerrotype

[Daithí Mac]

As for flags, it costs precisely the same to have a blue and gold flag as it does blue and white.

It depends on the design really, if you put the leinster symbol in yellow and kept the rest blue then it wouldn't be far off. There would be a slight increase though as you would be paying for yellow dye to dye the white cloth. Then if you go with the yellow/blue flag design they actually used, you're talking a lot more complexity and paying for 2 colours of dye:


In comparison with this one which is one colour, and relatively simple design:

[gleesonisgod]

I have my Dad's Leinster Juniors' jersey from the early fifties at home. It's blue(St Marys blue) with a white harp and a white collar. Number is black on a white sewn on patch.

[olaf the fat]

As for flags, it costs precisely the same to have a blue and gold flag as it does blue and white.

It depends on the design really, if you put the leinster symbol in yellow and kept the rest blue then it wouldn't be far off. There would be a slight increase though as you would be paying for yellow dye to dye the white cloth. Then if you go with the yellow/blue flag design they actually used, you're talking a lot more complexity and paying for 2 colours of dye:


In comparison with this one which is one colour, and relatively simple design:

Super photo Daithi

[mfjoc]

I am at this very moment in time looking at a picture of the Leinster team that played Ulster in December 1884, and they are wearing dark blue jerseys with a crest picked out in silver/white thread.

How can you tell? Was the photo taken by a time traveller with a digital (colour) camera?

A digital daguerrotype actually

Dave
Could you scan this photo and post it on line- would love to see it
I thought that the first colour photos taken in Ireland were by two french ladies 1913 using the then newly invented autochrome process
I have never heard of the digital daguerrotype process!

[hugonaut]

Yeah, always surprises me that people want to see "more gold" - always thought it made the jersey overly fussy. The old Leinster Schools & Seniors jerseys from when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s were always just a plain royal blue and white harp with white shorts and blue socks; ditto some of the old boy's jerseys from the late 60s/early 70s.

The current light blue one that they wore against Toulouse has an awful lot more visual 'pop' in the stands than the navy jersey, though. Never really got why we adopted the navy at all, actually.

[ratpack]

No fussed about the gold, but the jerseys should be predominantly blue, not navy as we've had the past two times.

[Dave Cahill]

Dave
Could you scan this photo and post it on line- would love to see it
I thought that the first colour photos taken in Ireland were by two french ladies 1913 using the then newly invented autochrome process
I have never heard of the digital daguerrotype process!

That was a joke mfjoc

The picture is in black and white of course, you are correct, but in my trade ascertaining colours, or approximations thereof, from black and white pictures, is a regular requirement, and there are a set of techniques and methods that are recognised as being very accurate.


I'll try to scan it in over the weekend, its a very interesting picture. The team that day (6/12/1885) was

Back: CR Tille (Dublin University); Quarter Backs: EC Crawford (DU), RG Warren (Lansdowne); Half Backs: JP Ross (Lansdowne), L Kidd (DU) and JR Griffin (Lansdowne); Forwards: TR Lyle, WP Morgan, C Moore, W Hogg HM Brabazon (captain) (All DU), JMP Kennedy, WA Wallis, RS Montgomery (Bective Rangers), T Shanahan (Lansdowne)

[johng]

Totally pedantic one here. But seeing as Navy Blue got shortened to just Navy, does that mean it is no longer blue?

[Daithí Mac]

Super photo Daithi

I can't take credit, just googled Leinster flag

[brummie-leinster-man]

Hang on a min.......

am I the only one to notice a few things here that don't add up?????

So some random French guy has got hold of next years home and away kit before any major retailer has them, there is no sponsor on the front and he's selling them for 15 quid?

How do you know his wife hasn't stitched it in their garage?

I've just done a search for 'new leinster kit' and all I got were current jerseys.

I'd leave it ............

[ronk]

There are a couple of errors of fact in this post.

Gold is not a Leinster colour, unless one accepts that the Leinster jersey should be green. I am at this very moment in time looking at a picture of the Leinster team that played Ulster in December 1884, and they are wearing dark blue jerseys with a crest picked out in silver/white thread. Occasionally, depending on what O'Neills had available and how generous the branch were feeling, Leinsters jersey would feature a crest that had a gold harp on a green background, but it was the exception rather than the rule. It was only in the 90s, and the later 90s in particular, that gold became a regular feature of Leinster jerseys. And that WAS for Marketing reasons. As for flags, it costs precisely the same to have a blue and gold flag as it does blue and white.

Wow, that's a seriously good age for colour photography.

[cormac]

Yeah, always surprises me that people want to see "more gold" - always thought it made the jersey overly fussy. The old Leinster Schools & Seniors jerseys from when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s were always just a plain royal blue and white harp with white shorts and blue socks; ditto some of the old boy's jerseys from the late 60s/early 70s.

The current light blue one that they wore against Toulouse has an awful lot more visual 'pop' in the stands than the navy jersey, though. Never really got why we adopted the navy at all, actually.

The navy became the dominant colour when we changed sponsor from BOSI to Bank of Ireland. Coincidence?