ARGENTINA: Nothing really out of the ordinary here - so plain that we're not even sure who the makers were.
AUSTRALIA: It seems strange to see them in adidas, one of five different companies to outfit them at World Cups. The collar was very similar to that more associated with Canterbury while the hooped socks would be a welcome return, in our view.
CANADA: Plain and simple, with the crest and white sock tops the only things to make it stand out.
CANADA (alt): Worn against Tonga, it was even more straightforward than the 'home' as it lacked a contrasting collar.
ENGLAND: The classic rendering of the English strip. Likely to have been produced by Cotton Traders.
FIJI: One of the few countries to have a maker's logo, that of Canterbury. The socks featured an interesting stripes pattern.
FRANCE: Unmistakably France, unlike later offerings, and unmistakably adidas too, with the stripes and trefoil. As with the French football side, the sleeve stripes were arranged white-blue-white-red-white to represent the French flag.
FRANCE (alt): A pool game with Scotland meant a change, with the French swapping running out in white shirts and blue shorts. They were one of the few countries at the World Cup to have numbers on their shorts.
IRELAND: Also adidas, but, as the shirts were produced in Ireland under licence by Three-Stripe International, the collar style differed from France, Italy and Romania. The shorts did carry a trefoil, however.
ITALY: Essentially identical to France apart from the crest and the use of a green in the adidas stripes, creating the same 'flag' effect as France.
JAPAN: The association between Japan and Canterbury is one of the longest in world rugby. This kit is as classic as you're going to find.
NEW ZEALAND: The hosts had trademarked the 'All Blacks' name by 1987, but the collar remained white while the socks had two white stripes. Unlike Fiji, Canterbury didn't feature their logo.
NEW ZEALAND (alt): The quarter-finals pitted the All Blacks against Scotland and so a white reversal of the usual shirt was used. The black shorts and socks remained, though.
ROMANIA: Another country to wear adidas, with the template exactly the same as that of France and Italy.
SCOTLAND: Like England, Cotton Traders were the manufacturers and the style that which had served Scotland well for the previous century or so.
TONGA: In a group with lookalikes Canada and Wales, Tonga managed to avoid having to change and wore their usual red in all of their pool games.
USA: One of the few countries to push the boat out any bit, with the right sleeve featuring a double-stripe effect.
USA (alt): Worn against Japan, this provided more differentiation than the red, aided in no small part by the navy shorts.
WALES: Like the rest of the countries from the British Isles, Wales' first World Cup foray came in an ultra-traditional outfit.
WALES (alt): The toss for colours was lost against both Canada and Tonga, so Wales took to the field in green shirts and socks trimmed with red. Not a bad look at all, but some green on the red shirt would have complemented the change kit better.
ZIMBABWE: Participants in the first two World Cups, the Sables were in the traditional hoops. Unusually, the shirt featured an extra-long button placket.
It seems obvious now that there should be an international jamboree of rugby, but back in 1987 the first edition made an uncertain start, with a large air of experimentation to the whole thing. Kits were plain and traditional, with the adidas stripes of a few countries the only accoutrements of note. New Zealand, assisted in hosting by Australia, were the first champions, beating France in the final.
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