1. ISO 15487:2018 - TEXTILES - METHOD FOR ASSESSING APPEARANCE OF APPAREL
The earliest rugby uniforms were made of wool and not surprisingly were first worn by teams at the Rugby School in England, where Rugby originated. It wasn't long before players realised that wool wasn't the “tech fabric” of the 18th century it was hyped up to be, it was itchy and heavy.
The fabric of choice became cotton, typically striped in design with bold colours. Today synthetic fibres replace cotton, as they are better equipped for sweat control and being tear resistant.
Yet the bold colours remain, thanks to Standards like ISO 15487:2018 we can be sure that the apparel worn by Rugby players is of the highest quality.
2. BS 6366(2011) : 2011 - SPECIFICATION FOR STUDS FOR RUGBY FOOTBALL BOOTS
In the early days it was against the laws of Rugby to have studs in your shoes, with the rules stating “No player may wear projecting nails or iron plates on the heels or soles of his shoes or boots”.
By the turn of the 20th century, this rule changed several times. First it was cylindrical shaped studs that were accepted, then it was the material of the studs that had to be leather and finally rubber, aluminium and approved plastics were also added to the rules.
BSI officially introduced the first standard for studs for Rugby football boots in 1983. Interestingly, Rugby boots have 8 studs compared to 6 studs in soccer boots. The reason being, rugby requires more grip needed for scrums.
3. I.S. EN 15330-1 : 2013 - SURFACES FOR SPORTS AREAS - SYNTHETIC TURF AND NEEDLE-PUNCHED SURFACES PRIMARILY DESIGNED FOR OUTDOOR USE
Rugby Union is generally played on natural grass, yet the popularity of synthetic turf is slowly growing. The main advantage of synthetic turf is that it is more safe and resilient for repeated use without damage. It allows increased activity throughout the year, no matter the weather. It's also a better material for stadiums, as it's difficult for natural grass to grow in limited sunlight.