Greetings, kit ranking fans. The Rugby World Cup devoured any potential time to do last year’s rankings so after a fallow year, we’re back and with a different format – all 20 kits, home and ‘change’ versions as manufacturers like to call them, assessed and dissected.

Quick breakdown of the manufacturers:

Castore - Bath, Harlequins, Saracens

Macron - Northampton Saints, Sale Sharks

Samurai - Exeter Chiefs, Leicester Tigers

O’Neill’s - Bristol Bears

Oxen - Gloucester

VX3 - Newcastle Falcons

No cup kits, because they are the devil and rugby does not need them. Otherwise, enjoy!

20. Exeter change

Shouldn’t really punish teams for making access to good imagery of their kits incredibly difficult, but as the meme of Barry from Eastenders singing ‘Something Inside So Strong’ goes, we’re going to do it anyway. No signs of any socks yet but you would be stunned based on the rest of it if they were not white. Sponsor logo works better here with the Chiefs emblem than on the home kit. Those are just your school rugby shorts with an Exeter crest ironed on, aren’t they? Absolutely won’t remember it next season.

19. Saracens change

Reminds me of the roadworks outside my house, which like this kit I look forward to forgetting about. For all their success over the past 15 years Saracens have had some really dull kits. No shorts or socks yet, sorry to keep you in suspense.

18. Bath change

Might be a little low, because there is not a lot wrong with it. Whiter than it looks in these promo shots and has a strong baseball vibe to it with the coloured sleeves. Marked down though because, really, it’s a little bit dull compared to the great yellow change kits Bath have gone for in the past. Redeems itself though by fixing the collar (see the home kit entry).

17. Sale change

This will get a lot of hate, and I certainly would not go as far to say that I like it, but at least they have tried something. Committing to that orange – more Irn Bru than Tango – is a move, and you will certainly never lose them when the fog drops low at the AJ Bell. Need to see it in the flesh (although might regret that).

16. Bristol change

No shorts or socks yet for this which is a shame, because otherwise this might do quite well. “Eye-catching” is how Bristol have promoted this kit – eyes, get it – and it’s certainly fun while being a bit less mad than their recent offerings. Remember the balloon Euro kit? That was fun, but we’ve got something more sensible now. Some promo shots suggest the shorts will be black which is... underwhelming.

15. Saracens home

Didn’t mention this for the change kit entry because it sticks out more here – why have StoneX twice? Unusual to have an echo on a shirt, once was surely enough. “The striking print at the front and back is inspired by the decades of strength, determination and professionalism that make up team Saracens,” Castore tell me, and I am desperate to know how exactly that is the case.

14. Exeter home

Not massively convinced that sponsor logo needs to be that big or that colour – Sika being a Swiss multinational speciality chemical company that supplies to the building and motor vehicle industries, as you already knew – but the rest of it is pretty nice in fairness. Do like the the lines (no blurb from Samurai about what it all means) and the big Chief.

13. Newcastle change

One of the better change kits and that’s a nice design with the Tyne Bridge. Not as keen though on the grey colour scheme compared to the green numbers Newcastle have rolled out in recent years, hence this not going higher.

12. Bristol home

Back to traditional hoops after a few lively years with Umbro and then last year with O’Neills – kind of liked the little red bears last season, hope they’re all right wherever they’ve gone to. It is the first Bristol kit with any hoops since 2018, and tradition is a good thing, but this might be a bit too safe and too hoopy.

11. Harlequins change

Now we’re talking; a multi-coloured bed of spikes you would probably fall on while blinded by a hangover. It would be hypocritical to criticise a bold change kit and I won’t, but boy is this one lively. Shorts are not messing around either with that green. No socks yet, they could honestly be any colour based on the rest of it.

10. Northampton change

The yellow which was prominent last season has been completely ditched for a more straightforward kit which still has tons of green. And it works. Still adjusting to the new crest, mind you, and really there was a chance here to ram the new era home by weaving some sort of cross design into the change kit. Maybe next year.

9. Newcastle home

Certainly the best out of the three black kits even if it’s not doing a whole lot, and I think that might be because of the socks. That’s a ‘True North badge’ on the side panel, I’m told by VX3, which I now know stands for ‘Veni Vidi Vici’. Bonus points for being reasonably priced at £54.99, which ranks as one of the cheapest.

8. Harlequins home

Your expected quarters but with a twist, featuring different London landmarks “whilst also celebrating the central role of our local network of community rugby clubs”, which is quite a lot to pack into a kit. It’s busy, but certainly not in a bad way, and definitely more interesting than last year’s. Socks arguably steal the show.

7. Leicester home

Last year’s kit from Samurai was back in the traditional green (good) before being ruined by a huge tiger over the top of it (bad). This instead is trying to pay homage to the club’s stripes whilst doing something tigery, and gives it a really good go. There has surely never been a better colour-coordinated sponsor on a pair of shorts than Spar on Leicester’s. Elite socks too.

6. Gloucester away

Teal, lots of it, and thank you very much. I’d have maybe taken just solid and fewer stripes but as white change kits go, that’s delightful. No major frills with the shorts or socks, but the shirt is doing most of the work.

5. Northampton home

Nice work from the champions. Often find with Northampton’s home kit I have to refer to the previous year to work out what’s different; this time features fewer and bigger black stripes, less yellow (shame), but a proper collar. Didn’t love the green-to-white patterns on last year’s kit, this is better. Ace socks. Will like the crest eventually, I guess?

4. Gloucester home

Very good. Main sponsor works great, some of the best shorts and socks going. Would love it to have a proper collar but you can’t win every battle in the kit rankings game, and this gets almost everything right. Slightly subdued in terms of sponsors compared to their past kits, hope Olbas are doing OK.

3. Bath home

Perhaps you also don’t understand how a kit sponsored by Dyson could have such an obvious design fault. Why is there a white collar right next to a white stripe at the top? Fix that by making the collar either blue or black and we’re close to perfect for a Bath kit, given it has all the right colours and hoops. Bonus points for good socks.

2. Leicester away

To paraphrase Marge Simpson, I just think it’s neat. Leicester have had a few swings and misses with their change kit; the blue one splashed with pink, the red one with the radio waves, last seasons’s black kit. This is really good, nice bold red strip, sponsor fits well, top socks. One quibble – why do Leicester have two different pairs of white shorts? The poor kit staff are definitely mixing those up.

1. Sale home

Honestly, it was an easy decision. Sale have been trying to work a shark motif into their shirt for years with some bad results. This is the right way to do it and looks great, an army of shark fins screaming ‘Do not swim here, mate!’. Sneaks in a couple of extra sponsors but tastefully. Proper collar. Very blue but not dull. Really nice.