The Australian Rugby Union has signed a five-year extension to its partnership with rugby equipment and apparel manufacturer Gilbert.
Under the deal, which runs until the end of 2018, Gilbert will serve as the exclusive ball and body armour supplier to the ARU and Australia’s national team, covering international Test matches, the Gold Coast Sevens tournament and all representative matches played under the governing body’s auspices.
Gilbert will also supply the ball for the inaugural National Rugby Championship, a new domestic club competition involving nine teams that will start in August.
The ARU is part of a vast portfolio of major rugby union nations to have agreements with Gilbert, which counts England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France and South Africa among its partners, along with the sport’s ruling body for the southern hemisphere Sanzar.