John Lewis Cotton Rugby Shirt, Navy

This rugby shirt distinguishes itself from its equine cousin, the polo shirt, with a heavier weight fabric — at 330g this is the heaviest weight jersey available. On the rugby field the benefit is that this will stand up to a fair amount of grabbing and manhandling; in civilian life, it's THOUGHTFULLY DESIGNED to provide a welcome amount of protection from the elements, and should last a long time if properly cared for.

The ecru-coloured collar fastens with natural corozo nut buttons and contrasts the navy jersey base of the shirt in its colour as well as being a slightly different fabric.

We've skipped the traditional team stripes and gone for a solid colour, which makes it a bit more versatile and a bit less likely to start disagreements in pubs.