Barbarians Deaf Rugby Jersey

– The Team –

South African deaf rugby coach, Michael Oosthuyzen, will be coaching the international mean’s Barbarians Deaf Rugby team for the second Sevens Deaf Rugby World Cup from April 5th – 9th in Córdoba, Argentina. Coach Oosthuyzen is not only the new President for the South Africa Deaf Rugby Union, he is also the Chair of World Deaf Rugby.

– The Jersey –

One of the team’s international players, Dara Smith from the RAM Sports Zone, more commonly known as RAMSZ (Rugby And More Sports Zone), designed the jersey to memorialize such an important event.

What does it all mean?

Symbolism: The overall design of the Barbarians Deaf Rugby jersey if full of symbolism illustrating the unique characteristics of the team. These characteristics explained below include unity, dominance, evolution, victory, courage, bravery, and fearlessness.

Components: I wanted to create something that would reflect the nationality of all its players to give the team a sense of identity and pride. My goal was to bring the team together in spirit before we meet in person. To begin this process, I downloaded the flags that represented each player from their respective country. Next, I researched the significance of all the elements of each flag. Then, the relative components were selected. Finally, these components were pieced together to not only create a design, but to tell a story.

– The Design –

The Front . . .

Barbarians Rugby: The foundation is obviously based on the Barbarians’ traditional black and white stripes. The Barbarians is a team that is always comprised of players from many different teams or different countries. That is what makes the Barbarians name so unique.

South Africa: Of course you have to represent the coach who is from South Africa. What is a team without its fearless leader? Since he is the glue that will bind us together, this element was placed front and center of the design.

Logo Design: All teams need an identity and this is no ordinary team by any means. How could I create a logo that represented the team? The barbarians’ color are black and white, all the players are deaf, and we are playing the sport of rugby. So, the equation is: Barbarians + Deaf + Rugby = Logo.

Logo Solution: Barbarians equals black and white colors. Deaf equals the sign language letter “d”. Rugby equals an abstract version of the rugby ball. I combined the sign language letter “d” with a rugby ball and made it black and white. The team now has an identity.

Sponsors: Anyone who has ever played sports knows how important sponsors are. It does not matter how big or how small the contribution is; what matters the most is the belief that the sponsors have in the team. Therefore, the sponsors logos are front and center on the chest for everyone to appreciate their hard work, dedication, and commitment. Thanks to The Socially Distant Sports Bar and RAMSZ for sponsoring Barbarians Deaf Rugby.

The Right Sleeve . . .

Stars: The United States, Chile, and Brazil all have stars in their designs making for a beautiful design.

United States: There are fifty starts united together, one star representing each state of the United States. These fifty stars create the background for the Chilean and Brazilin elements. On a team with varying international players, each player is representing their respective country in a united cause; to play rugby.

Chile: There is only one star and that star is meant to act as a dominate guide leading to progress and honor. The star is based off of the Mapuche Arauca Star representing both the canelo flower (ability to withstand different climate zones) and Venus (the brightest natural object in the sky), both which are dominate in their own way. This lead to the creation of the lone star on the flag. Therefore, one dominate Star in placed in the midst of all the stars.

Brazil: The circle encasing twenty-one stars of varying sizes was selected to represent Brazil. Most people commonly mistake the the circle for the world when in reality it represents the Brazilian sky, specifically the sky in Rio de Janeiro. These stars represent the federal units (states) in Brazil. Interesting fact: Any time a new federal unit is created or goes extinct, a new star must be added to or eliminated from the flag. In essence, the Brazilian flag is a living flag as the design evolves along with the country. Just as these federal units come and go, so do the players who play with Barbarians Rugby. As mentioned earlier, Barbarians Rugby is known for having a mix of players in varying sizes that come and go. Even though federal units and Barbarians players all come and go, what do they have in common? The ability to evolve and continue.

The Left Sleeve . . .

Protection: Portugal, England, and Wales deal with some form of protection making for a nice coat of arms design.

Portugal: What is a design without a shield? The shield is one of the oldest symbols being present in every historical Portugal flag in some form or another. These castles depict victories over enemies representing a sense of power. Barbarians rugby players usually have a strong determination to do difficult things such as play with a group of players that have never played together before. However, what is the goal of every player, every team? To be victorious. When everyone is united in the same goal that is power.

England: Who couldn’t use a little protection from the red cross? The red cross is known as Saint George’s Cross in memory of the patron Saint of England. The red cross represents courage and bravery symbolizing triumph of good over evil. Barbarians Rugby is a team of players whom never practice or play together on a regular basis. It definitely takes a lot of courage and bravery to try to overcome teams who have the advantage of possibly being together for years.

Wales: What is a shield without a dragon? The red dragon represents the fearlessness of its people. In battle, we are usually face to face with each other. However, often times, the thing we overlook could be the aspect that is the most dangerous. The tail is a reminder to pay attention to all of your surroundings because the Welsh are fearless.

The Back . . .

Names: To have your name on the jersey instills a since of pride. So, players will choose the name they would like to display on the jersey.

Numbers: Since this is a non-traditional team in a sense, the players will also choose the number they would like to have instead of your traditional one through seven as in traditional sevens games.

– The Animation –

Jersey design animation coming soon!!!