2020 New Zealand Warriors Wellington "Bush Shirt" Jersey
One-off alternate in traditional Wellington colours of black and yellow, modelled on the classic New Zealand bush shirt (Swanndri-style check). Made for the club's 2020 home match against the Cowboys staged in Wellington - a fixture lost when COVID-19 forced the team to relocate to Australia. The jersey instead made its NRL debut against the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium, Robina, on 10 July 2020. Affectionately mocked by fans as the "bushman" / "tea towel" jersey.
★ One-off Wellington 'bush shirt' jersey; the planned Wellington fixture was lost to COVID-19 and it debuted against the Titans on 10 July 2020.
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The 2020 season
The COVID-19 season, with the squad relocating to Australia for most of the year to keep the competition going. The first-grade side was coached by Stephen Kearney, then Todd Payten. Wahpedia catalogues 11 distinct 2020 Warriors designs in total, 5 of them first-grade match jerseys, all listed on the 2020 season page.
Maker and sponsor
Canterbury made the Warriors' on-field jerseys from 2009 to 2021, so this design belongs to the Canterbury era of the club's kit. The front-of-jersey sponsor in 2020 was Vodafone, the club's principal partner of the period.
Collector's notes
One-off jerseys like this are among the rarest Warriors designs and the hardest to authenticate, so provenance from the club or a player is worth more than condition. To check a 2020 special jersey, compare the neck and hem labels with the maker for that season (Canterbury), make sure the sponsor set matches 2020 rather than a neighbouring year, and compare stitching, collar and sponsor placement against the photo above. Replicas are usually a looser cut in a lighter fabric than player-issue jerseys, which also carry a number and, in most eras, a tighter athletic fit. Data confidence for this entry is high and the primary source is rljerseys.com.
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