Some places just get under your skin. Tucked into the folds of the Yorkshire Dales, Wharfedale is the kind of place where Saturdays still revolve around rugby, there’s always a damp coldness in the air, and everyone seems to know when kick-off is without checking the time.
It’s here, among the hills, the river, and the quiet confidence of a proper village club, that we introduced our new rugby shirts. They’re made to be worn the way rugby always has been: honestly, often, and without fuss. They’re designed to feel right at home in places like this, on matchdays and the long, sociable hours that follow.
THE SHIRTS - HEYWOOD AND RAMSGREAVE
We’ve been quietly working on Heywood and Ramsgreave for a while, taking our time to get them right, with a mix of short and long-sleeve jerseys designed in the unmistakable ‘green machine’ of Wharfedale RUFC. They’re made from a heavyweight 330gsm knitted polycotton that’s comfortable, breathable, and feels reassuring the moment you pull it on. They are, of course, adorned with an embroidered LANX logo alongside the Lancashire Rose.
Heywood and Ramsgreave are places that mean a lot to us, tied up in our own rugby story. Heywood was the old home of Sale Sharks and the first club we ever partnered with, while Ramsgreave is where you’ll find Preston Grasshoppers, another local side competing in the same league as Wharfedale. Different grounds, different crowds, but the same familiar rhythms: Saturday afternoons, muddy boots, and a pie and a pint after the game.
They’re made in the UK by the same third-generation, family-run factory that made our previous batch of jerseys. Based in Stafford, they’re people who know their craft inside out, and who share our belief in making things independently and making them well.
WHARFEDALE, AS IT IS
The setting for this launch is Wharfedale, the kind of rugby club that gets under your skin without trying. Ian “Adge” Douglas felt it when he first arrived in Skipton back in 1968, and he’s been part of the place ever since, talking about it with great affection and enthusiasm.
Many of the players are born and bred locally, pulling on a Wharfedale shirt from the age of seven, raised with what Ian calls “the green streak running through them like a stick of Blackpool Rock,” something that stays with you for life. He describes their style of play just as poetically, coining the term “riverball”: driving teams down the slope towards the River Wharfe, west wind at their backs, the crowd rising and falling like the water itself, all part of a special potency that no other club quite manages to bottle.
That pull still works on players today. Jake Armstrong speaks about nearly walking away from rugby altogether before Wharfedale changed his mind, drawn in by a clubhouse heavy with history, its walls lined with photos, medals and trophies, and the knowledge that many professional players once passed through these doors.
Emma Ballantyne felt it too, arriving from Canada and quickly realising that Wharfedale is about more than just rugby, offering a full day out, a sense of belonging, and a welcoming atmosphere as the women’s side continues to grow.
What holds it all together is the community. Volunteers cutting the grass, painting the lines and cleaning the changing rooms, families playing alongside one another, and a president, John Spencer, who captained England and the Lions yet feels completely at home in Grassington. Their shirts say “strength comes from the hills,” and at Wharfedale, you believe it.
WHY RUGBY?
We’ve established ourselves amongst some of the country’s biggest names in Rugby over the past couple of years, including Bath, Gloucester, Harlequins, Leicester Tigers, Sale Sharks, and Wales Rugby Union - who we’ll be backing in the upcoming 6 Nations.
We're also proud to be working with England rugby icon, and local Lancashire lad, Will Greenwood. He's been an ambassador of LANX since May 2025, and has helped fly the LANX flag in stadiums, clubhouses, and everywhere in between.
It’s also because rugby has always made sense to us. It’s about backing yourself, sticking to your principles, and doing things the right way - even when it would be easier to cut corners. Wharfedale RUFC lived that out for more than 20 years in League 1, one of the smallest clubs at that level. They turn up season after season to face city sides with bigger squads, louder crowds and deeper pockets, and still hold their own through consistency, commitment and community spirit. It’s a story we resonate with. Same values. Different kit.
That’s why LANX folk love heading up there, for the people, the pies, and the clubhouse that always feels like home. It might be Yorkshire, but it’s a bloody good club, so we’ll let them off.
READY FOR THE SEASON AHEAD
These shirts aren’t about chasing trends or reinventing the wheel. They’re about real moments, about clubs like Wharfedale, about Saturdays well spent and Sundays that start slow.
So whether you’re on the touchline, at the clubhouse, or watching from the sofa, get stuck in, get 6 Nations ready, and get ‘em worn.
