The 2011 Springbok World Cup jersey, featuring the Springbok emblem on the sleeve, has been unveiled.
The Springbok logo, traditionally at the heart of the South African rugby jersey, was in 2009 controversially moved to the right-hand side of the jersey to accommodate the King Protea, the official emblem of South African national sporting sides.
Due to the IRB’s requirement that the official IRB Rugby World Cup logo appears on the right-hand side of all team jerseys at the showpiece, the Springbok emblem has moved to the left sleeve of the jersey.
This temporary switch, however, only applies to IRB World Cup events. The South African Rugby Union is said to have asked the IRB to make an exception for South Africa, but it proved in vain.
What’s more, the logo of new sponsors Absa is not allowed on the Bok World Cup jersey as a maximum of three logos are allowed on the front of a team jersey at IRB World Cup events – a nation’s national emblem (on the left breast); the event mark (right breast) and the logo of the apparel sponsor (centre).