New Age Rugby Protection

I thought I had seen it all. Rugby players wearing shoulder protection? No way! Yes way! Rugby is synonymous for "elegant violence". Parents do not want their kids to get hurt. More and more we hear a parent call out "Johnny come try on these shoulder pads." Is it football season? No no no, it is rugby season. Time to get the newest and best gear. Where do we find the best gear? The best selection on the internet has to be at this rugby store in California. So, you ask, what is the best gear and who makes it? My personal preference is to go with either Gilbert Rugby or Canterbury of New Zealand Rugby. These companies specialize in everything rugby and they carry the best overall selection of products to help with your decision making process. At Rugby916.com, they carry both companies to help with your selection and allow you to make a decision without searching multiple sites. So, rugby protection is something you need right? What kind do I get?

If you seem to get injured every game, like I used to do, go with something that has padding all around. For this I would suggest the Gilbert Synergie 12. This piece of equipment is a little more spendy, but it comes with the most overall protection. It comes with 12 ergonomically designed pads to give you the best protection. The areas of protection emphasized with this gear are the ribs, kidneys, biceps, back, and sternum. This gear runs around the $100 mark.

For mainly shoulder protection for increased hit power and less bulkiness, I would prefer to try something such as the Gilbert Quest XP or the Canterbury of NZ Club Vest. These mainly shoulder protectors will run you about $45-60.

All of this gear is IRB approved and ready to wear on the playing field. All you have to do is make a decision on what type of gear you wish to wear.

In between these different pads, there are many more choices. I have just given insight on a couple differences between the types of padding. Both work well and have the same purpose. So, when looking at choosing shoulder gear, remember the old boys who refuse to wear this stuff and ruin their shoulders. One coach used to constantly tell us to play smarter than the other team. Now I understand he meant to get equiped with the best gear possible!