Written by Mike Carter, Hull KR Shirts
It has been announced that Hull KR and Elite Pro Sports have extended their partnership, which will see them, via their OXEN brand, continue to manufacturer the on field and off field ranges for Hull KR until at least the end of 2030.
OXEN will become one of the longest standing manufacturers in Hull KR kit history with this new deal. It has been a rarity for Hull KR kits to be produced by the same company for longer than 3 or 4 years in recent times, however OXEN is currently in their fifth season with Hull KR in 2024 and now with this agreed extension, it will reach at least 11 years.
It didn’t start with OXEN for Hull KR and Elite Pro Sports, though. They have actually been producing merchandise for Hull KR since the end of 2016, initially using their X-Blades brand. This was before an internal shuffle saw them create and develop a new brand, called OXEN, which was formed in 2019 and first seen on Hull KR shirts in late 2019, ahead of the 2020 Betfred Super League season. This means that Elite Pro Sports will have been responsible for manufacturing Hull KR kits for at least 14 seasons by the time this deal expires.
In a two part series, I will cast my opinion over ALL of the match kits that Elite Pro Sports have produced for Hull KR. Part one will focus on 2017-19, the X-Blades era and in part two the focus will be on the OXEN years, taking us to the present day.
Let’s take a look at what Hull KR & X-Blades produced on the field between 2017 and 2019…
2017
Hull KR first partnered with Elite Pro Sports ahead of their 2017 Kingston Press Championship campaign, which saw the Robins win the competition with relative ease. The club then gained promotion back to the Super League at the first time of asking via the Middle 8s, wearing X-Blades manufactured home, away and third kits.
If you’d like a close-up of each shirt, just tap the capital text at the start of each segment. It will open an image up in a new tab for you to have a better look.
HOME: The home kit was a tribute to one of the all-time greats, Roger Millward. It was based around a design synonymous with Hull KR and that which Roger wore during his decade plus playing career at the cub. The kit consisted of a white shirt, with a red band, red shorts with white panel detail and white socks. Replica shirts also had the squad number 6 dye sublimated on to the back. The underarm detailing on this shirt is something that I love. It is simply amazing detail!
Hull KR Shirts Grading: 10/10
AWAY: The away kit was dark green with an orange offset chest band, and worn with white shorts with green and orange detailing and green socks. This is my least favourite of the partnership, just, but I do know quite a few people who really like this one, so it could just be me in the minority. Eight wins from nine outings in this kit was a good return though, even in the Championship.
Hull KR Shirts Grading: 5/10
THIRD/135: The third kit had its design inspired by the Hull KR heritage crest, which has been used on key anniversaries throughout the clubs’ existence. The kit featured an updated heritage crest to feature the number ‘135’ as 2017 marked the clubs’ 135th anniversary. The kit was first worn with matching shorts against London Broncos. However, due to a ‘fit’ issue, the players opted to wear the white shorts from the away kit on the other three occasions it was worn, against Halifax, Widnes Vikings and Warrington Wolves.
Hull KR Shirts Grading: 8/10
2017 Full Season Hull KR Shirts Grading: 22/30 (73.33%)
2018
In 2018, Hull KR returned to the top table. After just missing out on a place in the Super 8s during the 2018 Betfred Super League regular season, they had to settle for a place in the Middle 8s again. A competition that had delivered different levels of joy and dismay in the previous two years. A place in the Super League in 2019 was confirmed, though, after a 30 points to nil victory over Widnes Vikings in September.
HOME: The home kit was launched off the back of an advertising campaign called ‘Paint The Town Red’, which was to celebrate our return to the Super League. The white and blue detailing on the red shirt were made to look like paint markings across the shirt. The shirt was worn with red shorts, with white detailing and red socks with white turnovers.
Hull KR Shirts Grading: 7/10
AWAY: The away kit was at the time, what I thought would be the closest thing to a pink Hull KR kit that I would get, we now know that to not be the case. The main colour of the kit was cobalt grey, and the addition of pink really captured a brilliant colour contrast to make a wonderful looking combination. Cobalt shorts and socks with pink turnovers completed this kit.
Hull KR Shirts Grading: 7/10
THIRD/ALR: The third kit was another tribute shirt (of sorts, anyway). In 2015 Hull KR had adopted the Erasure classic, ‘A Little Respect’ as one of their club anthems after it was sung in the stands and three years later the idea to have that commemorated on a shirt stuck. The main body of the shirt was white, with lyrics featuring across the shirt in a pale grey. The words “so in love with you” were displayed on the front body of the shirt in red, to really lay the emphasis on that section of the lyrics. This was worn a couple of times in May, with ‘MLS’ as the main shirt sponsor, but was worn much more in the latter stages of the season with ‘Motordepot’ branding. It didn’t have kit specific shorts and socks, though, as it was worn with the home kit shorts and socks. A clever idea, but the execution could have been better.
Hull KR Shirts Grading: 6/10
2018 Full Season Hull KR Shirts Grading: 20/30 (66.66%)
2019
2019 was a frustrating season for the Robins. On paper, we had a great side, but we found ourselves once again flirting with the relegation trap door and only avoiding it on the final day of the regular season. It also had one of the best trio of kits Hull KR has ever seen within a 12-month calendar period, in my opinion.
HOME: The home kit is one of my favourite home kits of the past 20 years. It is a white shirt that featured a slimmer and slightly raised red band that had elements of ‘camouflage’ in it. This allowed for the sponsor to drop below the band, rather than it going through the middle, like we have been used to. It had red; cuffs, sleeve detailing, side panels (featuring camouflage again), and collar detailing that really finished it off nicely. The kit was completed with red shorts and red socks, which had white turnovers. Beautiful!
Hull KR Shirts Grading: 9/10
AWAY: Now this one was a stunner, is a stunner, and will always be a stunner. The simplistic element of the 2019 away kit might be its best feature. This was the first time that we saw the club take a specific approach with their sponsors, which would change kit design at Hull KR for the better. The kit was blue, including the club crest, with every sponsor appearing in uniform, in white. There was some more white on this kit in the form of the cuffs, collar, and shoulder detailing. This kit changed how we displayed our sponsors and our crest on our kits, and I, for one, think it has been a monumental success. The shirt was complemented with blue shorts with white side panels and blue socks that once again had white turnovers.
Hull KR Shirts Grading: 9/10
THIRD/POPPY: The poppy shirt was the first to be released ahead of the 2019 season. It was revealed in October 2018, ahead of the 100-year anniversary of the end of World War One on 11th November 2018. The shirt features a poppy design, with silhouettes of soldiers in poppy fields and crosses of remembrance. It was similar to the third shirt from 2018, in the sense that it was worn with the home shorts and socks, opposed to having its own unique set.
Hull KR Shirts Grading: 9/10
2019 Full Season Hull KR Shirts Grading: 27/30 (90.00%)
That ties up what Elite Pro Sports offered us via their X-Blades brand between 2017 and 2019. We now move into covering Hull KR and Oxen from 2020 until 2024, tap here to continue.
Up The Robins!
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