The Barbarians and Kooga Rugby Ltd have announced a major deal which sees Kooga become the Official World Wide Licensee for the Barbarians

The new Barbarians shirt was unveiled today in Llanelli by club legend Phil Bennett, who started the move that led to the try hailed as the greatest ever scored when the Barbarians defeated New Zealand in 1973.

Anthony Egan, Kooga Sales Director, hailed the announcement as a significant milestone for Kooga Rugby. 

He said: ‘’This is an outstanding agreement for Kooga and we’re extremely excited about working with the Barbarians who are an iconic and widely recognisable name within the world of rugby. It’s a sign that Kooga are firmly established as an important brand within the rugby market. The Barbarians are a great addition to our portfolio of clubs alongside Leicester Tigers and the Scarlets."

Kooga’s deal to provide kit to this iconic team of elite players runs from season 2016/17 to 2019 and further establishes Kooga as a major global rugby apparel supplier committed to supporting rugby at all levels of the game from amateur to elite. Under the umbrella of JD Sports, Kooga can continue to develop the brand and ensure it provides great product for retail partners and end users – the fans, coaches and players at all levels of the game.

Since the Barbarians inception in 1890, the invitation team has represented all things great and good about the game of rugby: flair, courage, spirit, passion and sportsmanship. The Barbarians' roll of honour boasts some of the most iconic figures in the history of rugby, names like Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennett, David Campese and Jonah Lomu. "More recently the likes of Matt Giteau, Richie McCaw, Bryan Habana and Victor Matfied have excelled in the Baa Baas shirt.

The Barbarians will wear the Kooga shirt for the first time against South Africa at Wembley Stadium connected by EE on Saturday, November 5. The clubs links with South Africa date back to 1952 and the Barbarians are aiming for a third successive victory against the Springboks after wins in 2007 and 2010.

Barbarians Honorary Secretary Gordon Brown said: “We are looking forward to working with Kooga over the next three years as our new World Wide Licensee and kit supplier. The Barbarians shirt is an iconic one and we are impressed with the high quality of the playing, training and leisure apparel that Kooga will supply. We say goodbye to Cotton Traders with grateful thanks for their support in recent years.

“The Barbarians club continues to go from strength to strength, attracting talented players from around the world to take part in memorable matches against international and club teams. We look forward to kicking off this new partnership with Kooga when we take the field in November against South Africa at Wembley before travelling to face Fiji at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast."

The Barbarians player and replica shirts will be available from October 1 from The Barbarians website and all specialist rugby retailers.