The 2026 Hurricanes Away Jersey celebrates 30 years of Hurricanes rugby by looking back to the club's inaugural 1996 season. The design reverses the colour arrangement of the original jersey, switching the traditional yellow base for predominantly black with yellow stripes and blue trim, creating a modern interpretation of the first Hurricanes kit.

The jersey also carries the Three Hundred Winds design, inspired by Tāwhirimātea and representing the growth of Hurricanes rugby over three decades. The cultural detailing gives the anniversary jersey a distinctly modern identity while remaining connected to the club's beginnings.

The Hurricanes logo adds another link to the past. The 2026 version takes inspiration from the original logo used between 1996 and 1999, replacing the historical "Wellington Hurricanes" wording with "Est. 1996" to acknowledge the club's origins and its wider regional identity today.

A Link to the First Hurricanes

The jersey's connection to 1996 is particularly significant because that was the year the Hurricanes entered the inaugural Super 12 competition. Their first match was played against the Blues on 1 March 1996 at the Showgrounds in Palmerston North, with Alama Ieremia scoring the first try in the history of Super Rugby.

Thirty years later, the 2026 Away Jersey brought elements of that original kit back onto the field while incorporating new cultural and design elements for a modern Hurricanes team.

On-Field Legacy: The 2026 Campaign

During the Hurricanes' championship-winning 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign, the away strip featured in several memorable road performances:

• Round 4 vs NSW Waratahs (Allianz Stadium, Sydney): A 59–19 statement victory in Sydney. Billy Proctor led the attack with a sharp second-half hat-trick, accompanied by tries from Asafo Aumua, Peter Lakai, Bailyn Sullivan (2), Ereatara Enari, and Jone Rova.

• Round 6 vs Highlanders (Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin): A 50–7 demolition under the roof. Fehi Fineanganofo delivered a standout hat-trick, backed up by a double from halfback Cam Roigard, plus five-pointers from Devan Flanders, Bailyn Sullivan, and Peter Lakai.

• Round 14 vs Blues (Eden Park, Auckland): A 47–24 triumph at Eden Park to close in on the minor premiership. Fineanganofo scored his 16th try of the season to match the all-time Super Rugby regular-season record, alongside scores from Warner Dearns, Jordie Barrett, Pasilio Tosi, Kini Naholo, Raymond Tuputupu, and Peter Lakai.

For the RYOS Archive, this jersey represents a direct connection between the Hurricanes' first season and their 30th anniversary - taking the colours, identity, and spirit of the 1996 original and reinterpreting them for a championship-winning modern era.

Key Features:

• Modern reinterpretation of the 1996 Away Jersey

• Three Hundred Winds design celebrating 30 years

• Throwback-inspired Hurricanes logo

• Material: 100% polyester | 240gsm