All Blacks to ditch old jersey

Wellington - New Zealand will unveil a new jersey in Saturday's Tri-Nations rugby Test against South Africa, risking the ire of a nation which regards the black jersey and silver fern as icons that should not be tampered with.

Team mangement and players have previewed the new jersey, designed by Adidas, and say it won't upset traditionalists, as it contains all the traditions of the famed All Blacks strip, but with a high-tech twist.

Fullback Mils Muliaina, who is set to play his 96th Test on Saturday said "there's not much change at all. There's still the blackness in it, the silver fern's still on it. But the new design does have one drawback - it is so skin-tight it leaves nowhere to hide excess body fat."