Written by Mike Carter, Hull KR Shirts.
In a week where we all found ourselves discussing the negatives of Rugby League, this weekend really showed why Rugby League should be considered the greatest sport on the planet. Two excellent Play-Off Semi-Finals will see the Robins and Warriors go head to head one final time in 2025!
Thinking more about the positives, let’s have a look at the latest replica shirt release from Hull Kingston Rovers…
For the third year running, Hull KR has revealed a shirt for the following year before the completion of the current season. The feel-good factor around Hull KR at the moment is at an all-time high during the Super League era, and the club has once again taken the opportunity to bounce off the positive momentum in East Hull.
The above paragraph is almost a direct copy of how I started the 2025 home kit a little over 12 months ago. It still feels apropos 12 months on – In fact, I think it is even more true now with the arrival of silverware to Sewell Group Craven Park.
Let’s move to what I am calling the start of the reveal with the announcement that Connexin’s branding was set for a move to a new position on the kit in 2026 – this was brought to our attention after an update was provided by Hull KR, as they thanked Connexin for their continued support. It shouldn’t go unnoticed how much Connexin has been and continues to be an excellent partner for Hull KR. Their branding featured as the main front of shirt sponsor for 4 years, which saw the building and growing of the club and the team. Their branding has been unoffensive to the overall look of every shirt it has appeared on!
Connexin, from 2022-2025, was our longest-standing front-of-shirt sponsor since P&D Engineering, which was on shirts from 2002-2004. They brought stability to the front of the shirt and provided us with a logo that never once dominated a shirt – for that, I thank them dearly!
It was announced during this press release that Connexin would take up a spot on the back of the shirts during the 2026 and 2027 seasons. With this came some online speculation around which partner wouldn’t continue to have their branding on the back of the shirt in 2026.
The next phase was always going to be around the new front of shirt sponsor, and that is exactly what came next. Hünnebeck, “a leading provider of formwork, shoring and safety solutions to the commercial, infrastructure and industrial markets,” was announced as a new principal partner, with them taking up the recently vacated front of shirt spot for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
On the evening of Wednesday, 1st October, this is when we started to get our first teasers around the design of the 2026 Hull KR home kit, Hünnebeck and their LinkedIn platform. The tease featured a segment of their branding, with what I interpreted as “THE ROBINS” wordmark on a sleeve cuff, folded in towards the middle of the shirt. For the record, I nailed my prediction on this occasion, even though a few people online thought otherwise.
Connexin joined the tease party the following morning, by showing their sponsor position on the back of the shirt, at the bottom, by replacing the departing Hirebase. It is crazy to think that after 4 years of appearing on Hull KR shirts, this is the first time Connexin has appeared in red on a white shirt without any design elements coming close to its positioning.
(Credit: Connexin)
At 1:00PM on reveal day, Thursday 2nd October, Hull KR let a fairly big cat out of the bag with the indication that the original release of our club anthem, (When The), Red Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along), written by Harry Woods, would be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2026. The occasion would be marked by a rubber jock/locker tag on the lower right (as wearing) – a fine detail which is clearly a level up on the usual fabric patch we have used on multiple shirts in the OXEN-era. Within this press release, it was confirmed that 6:00PM would be the magic time once again – a time of the day which Hull KR have used on many an occasion to announce new kits, players, deals and more! You know you’re a hardened Hull KR fan if you’re checking your notifications or Hull KR social media platforms every day religiously.
That wasn’t the last of the teases, though. Harrison Solway also had a bit of a tease, too, with clarification that they were indeed going nowhere. Since it was announced that Connexin was moving from their front of shirt position to the back, supporters took it upon themselves to assume that it would be Harrison Solway making way, but they wanted to emphatically refute those claims with a post that stated “WE’RE GOING NOWHERE… WE’VE GOT YOUR BACKS!
(Credit: Harrison Solway)
Instant Classic?
Marketing around anything is key, and is something that you have to get right. You don’t get second chances to make a good first impression, so it is vital that the reveal comes out a success, and even if you find yourself not liking the shirt, it is nearly impossible to disagree with the marketing tactics around this and many other Hull KR shirt reveals. I guess there could be a debate around whether the marketing team should be the one to decide that a shirt should be billed as an ‘Instant Classic’ or not. Should that be down to the wider Rugby League community? Yes, it probably should, but at the end of the day, it will go down as one of the modern great designs, in my opinion.
(Credit: Hull KR)
The Kings of East Hull
Ironically, I missed one of my favourite times of the season, with the 6:00PM reveal coming whilst I was driving out of town, but I was able to catch up shortly before 7:00PM. An excellent graphic accompanied the reveal with a picture of a throne, with the 2026 home shirt hanging from it. Either side of the throne are Club Captain Elliot Minchella, and Player Of The Year, Jez Litten, but adorning the full kit – shirts, shorts and socks! Too often a reveal only shows the shirt, so full credit to Hull KR here for including these items within the media release imagery. Shortly after, we saw shots of Mikey Lewis, Tyrone May and Sauaso Sue in the newly revealed strip, too.
In 2025 I was ready to have more red than white on a home kit. I was certainly ready for it in 2026, too, but there is a pretty big reason why this kit just had to be this way in 2026. It was confirmed by Paul Lakin that Hull KR wouldn’t have a ‘special’ Las Vegas playing shirt. In 2025, when Wigan and Warrington played at Allegiant Stadium, both clubs wore special shirts for the occasion. This to me said that they want their club brand on show in what will be the biggest Hull KR game ever! When you factor in the TV and digital reach, being a part of the Rugby League Las Vegas 2026 extravaganza will hit – it was an absolute no-brainer that Hull KR’s home shirt in 2026 was always going to be a white shirt, with a red band.
Sponsorship
One thing that was made quite a big deal of was how clean the shirts would look in 2026. It was mentioned a few times during the latter stages of 2025 and was also touched upon by Paul Lakin in EP6 of the Official Hull KR podcast. To back this claim up, the home shirt is displaying two fewer sponsors than its predecessor. Collscaff, Keepmoat and Hirebase have all departed, with, as previously mentioned, Connexin moving to the lower back position. Hünnebeck is the only new addition to shirts in 2026. IRS continue with their collarbone sponsorship on either side of the shirt.
Let’s take a look at Hünnebeck and their first foray into sports shirt sponsorship. I did a little bit of research into the brand and looked back at their Facebook page, and they’ve been promoting the announcement over there for a little while now. Although 3 days in and they’ve not shared the full shirt on Facebook yet, they have shared it on their LinkedIn – a profile dedicated to professional networking, though.
Their branding appears on our shirt in the exact same format that it appears on their website and social media platforms, including LinkedIn, so the consistency is there. I’m just not sure that it is suited to the front of a sports shirt in this iteration. Now hear me out – this isn’t a criticism by any means. Hünnebeck will have ploughed a good sum of money into the club to have their branding on our shirts, and usually I view the shirts from an aesthetic position, but on this occasion I am going to look at it from a business perspective. The branding carries over three lines, and in itself is highly distracting. Am I supposed to be looking at Hünnebeck, Formwork Solutions or By Brand Safway? Other than the fact that I have been educated by the press releases that Hünnebeck is the sponsor, I think I would be a little bit confused. Would the sponsor positioning be more effective if it just said Hünnebeck? I guess it is possible that it may feature differently on either (or both) of the yet-to-be-revealed alternate kits for 2026, so we shall see. It could be a case of Hünnebeck wanting their branding to appear ‘as is’ during the first year as principal club partners, and I understand that, but it could be something to consider for 2027 should they want to, because planning for those kit designs is already underway.
Having the red band back is great, but if it were a little bit broader, it would give the sponsor a little bit more space to breathe, plus it would tie in with the traditional look a little bit more too.
What about the rest?
The sleeves have fewer sponsors in 2026. The University of Hull takes up the left sleeve as wearing with the Betfred Super League branding featuring in monochrome on the right sleeve. The 2025 shirts didn’t feature any competition branding, and neither did the 2024 shirts with competition branding last appearing on shirts in 2023. I think there’ll be a big queue to have these overlayed with heat-applied ‘CHAMPIONS’ badges should Hull KR be successful in the Grand Final on Saturday, though. I hope you’re prepared for that one, Julia and team!
‘THE ROBINS’ wordmark on the sleeve cuffs will probably be the most divisive feature on the kit, in my opinion. I quite like quirky sleeve designs, and this is another one of those. We have such a cool nickname in The Robins, and I like the way we use it. I would never say to my pals in the pub, “that I’m going to watch The Robins next week”, I would and will always say “Rovers” in that scenario; however, I love the term ‘Up The Robins’. Mike ‘Stevo’ Stevenson used to call us ‘The Rovers’ on Sky, but that didn’t really stick with the fans – The Robins certainly have! Anyway, my point is that these nicknames can be used in different ways and to their strengths and this feature certainly does that.
The ribbed collar is a new feature for OXEN, I believe. It isn’t something that I have seen across any of their affiliated clubs, so it is nice to get something bespoke from them. Hull KR were the first Super League club to have OXEN as a kit partner, but they are now producing kits for Leeds Rhinos, Castleford Tigers and Huddersfield Giants, so naturally we will see some crossover in build and potentially design. The collar may take me a bit of getting used to, but I am so desperate for a turnover collar that it’s probably why! Imagine this kit with a turnover polo-style collar… Dreamy!
Moving on to the back of the shirt, and here we find the Robin Icon, this time in white on a red circular base. One of the simpler yet welcome additions to the shirt since the rebrand ahead of the 2022 season. Below that is Harrison Solway, who once again allows for their branding to appear in red, a switch from their natural purple colourway, and they are joined by Connexin in the lower position.
Quality
I picked up my shirt first thing from the retail store on Friday, and one thing that grabbed me when I got it home and had a chance to look at it was the elevated quality. The ribbed collar and its reinforced stitching below are excellently produced. The rubber jock tag and the application once again of the OXEN branding and icon, along with the Hull KR club crest, are all being embroidered into the shirt. It feels like this has been a real focus heading into 2026 and I love it!
Hull KR will wear red shorts featuring white side panels and white socks with a red turnover with the 2026 home shirt. The shorts’ white side panels have a red band mirroring that of the shirt design once again – this is something that I really do love about our kits!
Shirt hoodies are a thing now…
Once again, the playing kit wasn’t the only item available as the club released the now customary Hull KR shirt hoody! Now if we’re talking about a clean design, this is it! The hoody is white with a red hood and sleeve cuffs – which don’t feature the ‘THE ROBINS’ wordmark – with a red band and only Hünnebeck’s branding across the shirt.
Viva Las Vegas
On top of this is a Limited Edition Las Vegas Home Shirt, which has been advertised on Hull KR Shop without being made available for pre-order just yet. This shirt has a few different features from the standard home shirt. The most noticeable is the ‘Rugby League Las Vegas – powered by JD’ branding on the chest, in the centre, with match detailing included, too. The monochrome Super League branding has been replaced by the American Super League branding – a competition patch that will be used by both Hull KR and Leeds Rhinos in February. The rubber jock tag has been replaced by a Hull KR Las Vegas patch in its place. On the back of the shirt, an American flag replaces the Robin In, and similarly to the Challenge Cup winners’ shirt of 2025, LAS VEGAS and 26 are sublimated into the shirt.
I assume after the feedback from the winners range and payment being taken months in advance, the club has decided to wait until the stock arrives to sell the Limited Edition shirts. I know that frustrated a lot of people, and it seems like they’ve acknowledged that and have tried to move forward better this time. This option being announced early also allows supporters who would only wish to buy one of the home-styled shirts the chance to wait for the Limited Edition Las Vegas shirt, too.
Launch comparisons
I’m just going to take a moment to compare the launches of three of OXENS clubs who have all revealed home shirts already ahead of the 2026 Super League season. Leeds Rhinos revealed their home kit as a surprise on the morning of their Super League Play-Off game against St Helens at Headingley, and the word surprise here is quite fitting as there was no build-up and no warning. A 20-second video clip was embedded in the post, and it isn’t until towards the end that you see the actual shirt. On TwittX this post had 13.3K views after one week. Castleford also revealed their home shirt ahead of the 2026 season with a host of former players featuring in the first release – I thought this was a strange move considering that they’ve just rebranded, but I understand the heritage appeal, too. What I didn’t like was the mucky trainers and the crest appearing in a different colour on one of the shirts. However, this post garnered 63.3K views after 2 days. Hull KR, on the other hand, with their reveal imagery and build-up into an announced reveal, managed to hit 96.7K views on their reveal post. For some further context, Hull KR have 68.2K followers on TwittX, Leeds Rhinos have 204K and Castleford Tigers have 61K. Remember what I said earlier about making a great first impression?
CONTEXT: All of the above paragraph was correct at the time of writing at 13:30PM on 05/10/2025, and only considered my preferred platform for social media.
Over on LinkedIn, a platform I have a personal account on but don’t use anywhere near enough OXEN CEO Lee Jenkinson mentioned how the recent typhoons nearly curtailed months of planning for OXEN and Hull KR, but they worked tirelessly to ensure they had the shirts on sale ahead of the Play-Off Semi-Final! A somewhat unknown issue, but thankfully the time scale was still met. Something that should be greatly appreciated by all.
Did anyone else spot…
Eagle-eyed spotters may have noticed that the throne Hull KR used for this launch had a few edits to it. I can confirm that it is indeed not a Hull KR throne, but the master work of the digital design team at Hull KR. It is only edited in some of the pictures, so go and take a look and see how many Hull KR-themed edits you can spot.
Over the past three seasons, I have been on a bit of a rollercoaster journey with home shirts. I loved the 2024 home shirt, it is my favourite Super League era home shirt, but the 2025 home shirt still hasn’t grown on me. The fact that we lifted major trophies for the first time in 40 years in this kit will always annoy me a little bit, I think. Moving into 2026 with this home shirt, the world’s biggest Rugby League stage is waiting for The Robins, and who knows, maybe even a World Club Challenge down Preston Road.
The 2026 home kit can be purchased by clicking here. The kit is available for immediate dispatch and can also be purchased from the Hull KR store at Sewell Group Craven Park.
Whilst you’re here, take a look below to see what else is happening at Hull KR Shirts HQ…
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