For Saturday's game against Australia, Ireland will wear a special commemorative jersey design.
Canterbury have conjured up a one-off design to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the IRFU - a milestone which is being subtly celebrated on the permanent jersey design.
The dark green, almost sponsorless design is an absolute peach.
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Though the Irish soccer team have had more jerseys over the past decade than one could reasonably be asked to remember, it's rare enough for the rugby side to have a special design.
There may be a reason for that, after the farcical events in November 2010, the last time Ireland wore a commemorative jersey.
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Ireland's jerseys ripped apart the last time they had a commemorative design
After almost four years away, Ireland returned to their home of Lansdowne Road for the 2010 Autumn Internationals.
The visit of defending world champions South Africa was the biggest game of that November series. Accordingly, it was chosen as the game to raise the curtain on Ireland's new home at the Aviva Stadium.
For the occasion, the IRFU enlisted then-kit partners Puma to present a special design to celebrate the return to Dublin 4. The German marque produced a very appealing-on-the-eye number, which they suggested took "inspiration from the heritage and tradition of previous Irish rugby teams that have graced the hallowed turf of the world’s oldest Test match venue."
One particularly notable line in the press release associated with the kit said, "[The kit] features a traditional look and ‘cotton’ feel, while using ultra-modern fabrics and construction techniques which give the kit the strong and lightweight high performance demanded by today’s players."
Those were to prove to be unfortunately prophetic words.
6 November 2010; Tommy Bowe, Ireland, is tackled by Tendai Mtawarira, South Africa. Autumn Internationals, Ireland v South Africa, Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road, Dublin. Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
The game took place in heavy rain in front of a sell-out crowd, and it quickly became apparent that the jerseys were not up to the task.
As the first half progressed, several Irish players did not just see small tears appear in their jerseys - they were effectively torn in half.
Photos show a massive tear in the shoulder of Luke Fitzgerald's kit, while some began to rip open at the seams and from the bottom of the extended neckline. They also changed in colour as the rain continued to pour down.
6 November 2010; Luke Fitzgerald, Ireland, with a torn jersey. Autumn Internationals, Ireland v South Africa, Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road, Dublin. Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
The issue became so dramatic that Ireland chose to abandon the jersey entirely at half-time, emerging for the second-half in the kits they had worn during that year's Six Nations.
6 November 2010; David Wallace, Ireland, supported by team-mate Stephen Ferris. Autumn Internationals, Ireland v South Africa, Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road, Dublin. Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
Ireland would mount an impressive second-half comeback but, ultimately, it was in vain. The world champions held on for a narrow 23-21 victory, and Ireland's commemorative jersey was never to be seen again. It's rare enough that a one-off jersey doesn't even make it through the full game it was designed for.
After the game, Puma confirmed they would be recalling all of the kits worn in the game. A Horison Sports spokesperson speaking on behalf of Puma told The42.ie at the time:
It was affected by the wet weather and they obviously made the decision at half time to switch to the old gear.
The commemorative jerseys have been taken back and Puma will identify exactly what the problem was. In the meantime they’re back in the jerseys they wore for the Six Nations.
Puma were quick to blame the issues on the inclement weather but it was clear to most viewers that there were deeper issues at play.
The IRFU will certainly be hoping to avoid a repeat of that scenario on Saturday when Ireland take on Australia.
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