Peerless ripped off the replicas, it was definately Addidas on the field. I wish the ARU would have some sort of feature on designs over the years on their website
Yeah I'm not sure to be honest. But I think this threads been flogged to death.
I initially thought Adidas also due to the 3 stripes thing but I can't find a photo anywhere on google image with a 84-86 old school jersey showing an Adidas logo. I'd find it hard to believe that Adidas would produce a jersey without an Adidas logo on the chest.
And then I found the Mark Ella museum piece which is clearly Peerless.
Did Peerless copy the original Adidas jersey? - well aside from being unable to find any picture of an Adidas Wallaby jersey, I'd find it hard to believe Wallabies on the grand slam would be playing in peerless copies of an Adidas original. There is no way Peerless would have gotten away with copying an Adidas jersey and selling it as a knock off copy... for starters this would be illegal.
Did Peerless make a replica copy of the original Adidas jersey? - well I doubt this also. There would be all sorts of logo/trademark and copyright laws involved I would imagine as the Adidas 3 stripes is a registered trademark. Likewise, the use of Commonwealth Coat of Arms is a trademark and anyone who copies/ produces a product with a coat of arms faces all sorts of legal requirements etc and/or legal action.
Here's what I think happened. I can't find any evidence to support Adidas as being the kit supplier. Every photo I find on google image of players is devoid of any Adidas logo on jerseys or shorts.
I'm pretty sure Adidas didn't really get into rugby jersey production till the 90's and have always been mainly soccer orientated. I would find it hard to beleive in the 1980s in an amateur era the ARU would have sourced and contacted Adidas to make Wallaby jerseys... especially given Adidas had no presence in Australia and were largely European and Sth American based and focussed on soccer.
This leads me to beleive in the amateur era they would have used a local Australian company and Peerless got the job.
I think we all assumed it was Adidas because of the 3 stripes. I reckon it was Peerless (an Aussie company) who made this jersey and perhaps Peerless knocked off the 3 stripes from Adidas.
Perhaps one of the reason this jersey was changed and the stripes dropped around 87 or 88 was that Adidas probably took legal action against Peerless or threatened them with such and thus Peerless dropped the 3 stripes, and the Wallabies chose a different design.
Like I said, I thought Adidas also... but there's nothing to support that claim and to much evidence to suggest otherwise. The Ella museum jersey alone proves there was no Adidas jersey...
