REGULATION 12.  PROVISIONS RELATING TO PLAYERS’ DRESS

For all matches, Unions, Associations, Rugby Bodies, Clubs, Players and Persons must ensure that the provisions relating to Players’ dress, set out in this Regulation, and the specifications set out in the associated performance specifications, are complied with in full. The Council may, from time to time, supplement, amend and/or modify, in whole or in part, the provisions relating to Players’ dress set out in this Regulation and/or the associated performance specifications.

1. Additional items of clothing

(a) Shin Guards

A player may wear shin guards worn under the socks with padding incorporated in non-rigid fabric with no part of the padding thicker than 5mm when uncompressed.

(b) Fingerless Mitts

Coverage of the fingers and thumbs be permitted to the outer joint but no further. The mitt zone of coverage should not continue beyond the wrist.

The body of the mitt should be of a stretch type material with the grip material being made of a soft rubber/synthetic compound not exceeding a depth of 1mm.

No part of a mitt should contain buttons or potentially dangerous items.

(c) Body Padding

A player may wear body padding which complies with the requirements as set out in the World Rugby Body Padding Performance Specification, a copy of which can be found here.

(d) Headgear

A player may wear headgear which complies with the requirements as set out in the World Rugby Headgear Performance Specification, a copy of which can be found here.

(e) Player Monitoring Devices

A player may wear a player monitoring device which complies with the requirements as set out in the World Rugby Player Monitoring Device Performance Specification, a copy of which can be found here.

(f) Goggles

A player may wear goggles which comply with the requirements set out in the World Rugby Goggles Performance Specification, a copy of which can be found here.

2. Studs

A player may wear studs which comply with the requirements as set out in the World Rugby Stud & Outsole Performance Specification, a copy of which can be found here.

3. Banned items of clothing

Other than the items of clothing set out at 1(a)-(f) and 2 above, a player must not wear any item of which any part that is not considered padding, as per the definition in the Padded Closing Performance Specification, is thicker than 2mm when uncompressed.

All Performance Specifications referenced in this Regulation concern manufacturers and testers of Rugby players’ clothing and should be read in conjunction with the current version of the World Rugby’s LAW 4 concerning players’ dress and Regulation 12. 

Below are the three World Rugby Approved Clothing labels. All are valid (in both monochrome and colour variations) and on display on the Player Welfare website.