WP Rugby CEO Paul Zachs insists there has been no compromise on the quality of the Stormers’ new home and away jerseys, which do not have an apparel sponsor.

WP Rugby recently ended its long-time alliance with kit sponsor adidas.

‘Western Province Rugby and the Stormers have always been leaders in the way we do things and once again the brand has been innovative and taken the lead by manufacturing our own jersey,’ said Zacks. ‘We felt it was important to challenge the norm, be innovative in our approach and try something different.

‘We are very proud of the fact that the jersey is locally manufactured, it is made by a factory in Cape Town [Genuine Connection], which is the same factory that has been making the Stormers jersey for the past 17 years.

‘The jersey contains the latest technology, fabrics and design elements, so in that way we have ensured that the quality is in no way sacrificed.

‘We consciously made a decision to differentiate this jersey from any of the jerseys from the past, however we have stuck to our tradition and history by bringing back the royal blue colour, incorporating the blue and white hoops and we have brought in a little more red which represents the Western Province rugby disa.’

The new home jersey, featuring royal blue and white hoops with red trim, will be available in all major retailers and at stormersshop.co.za from this Saturday, while the charcoal away jersey will be available from mid-January.