Name/Title1884 Jersey Badge - Gold Fern
About this objectWhen New Zealanders first played overseas, they sported dark blue rugby jerseys resplendent with a simple hand-stitched gold fern leaf. After the first ‘outsiders’ (New South Wales) toured the country in 1882, the ‘golden Kiwi’ colonials returned the visit two years later, wearing this rare jersey emblem and whipping the opposition on Australian soil. Their colourful uniform did not stick, and a decade later a New Zealand Rugby Union ruling forever replaced blue with black, and the gold fern with a silver one on our nation’s rugby attire.
MakerUnknown
Maker RoleUnknown
Date Made1880s
Place MadeNew Zealand
Medium and MaterialsWool
Measurements14.5 x 8cm
Credit LineFern on loan from the Roberts family
Object TypeJersey Badge
Object number2009/108/1
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved
