Richie McCaw wears the All Blacks training strip during a session in Edinburgh, during the buildup to the New Zealand vs Scotland rugby test match last year.

The "half collar" was revealed in 1999 when Adidas began sponsoring the All Blacks. Jonah Lomu wears the jersey during the NZ anthem in a 2001 game against France.

By 1987, not much had changed when All Black captain David Kirk led the team to victory at the World Cup. Same white collar, still pretty roomy, though Kirk wears his unbuttoned.

1956 All Black Richard "Tiny" White spots the classic ABs jersey, made of hardy material with a solid white collar and designed to be tucked into stubbies.

Bob Deans wearing the original All Blacks jersey from 1905. The jersey came complete with a lace-up collar.

The high-tech, super-tight and still-secret All Blacks jersey is no joke - unless you're Sonny Bill Williams or Ma'a Nonu.

The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) today announced the All Blacks would be wearing a new jersey for the Rugby World Cup, which would be unveiled when the team takes the field against South Africa for the opening Tri Nations match on July 30.

In a series of interviews released today to coincide with the announcement, All Black players sombrely intone on the significance of the jersey throughout the team's history.

But midfield rivals Sonny Bill Williams and Ma'a Nonu go off on a comic tangent about the fabric.

Asked to comment on the significance of the jersey, Williams says, deadpan: "Well actually it's 20 per cent cotton, 50 per cent silk and ... what's the other one?"

Nonu picks up the ball and runs with it: "Polyester".

Williams then bursts into hysterics when Nonu says it has to be washed weekly with Napisan.

"What? You started it," Nonu says.

The actual details of the new strip are being kept tightly under wraps, but one thing is for sure - it will be skin tight.

Conrad Smith, who was one of seven players involved in developing the strip, today was tight-lipped about what it looked like, but said it was "nice and tight".

The players first tried the new Adidas jersey in the change room at Eden Park in January, and have yet to test it on the field.

"It is even tighter than normal I think, or maybe it's because I had a bit of Christmas beef on me," he said.

Mils Muliaina also described the jersey as "pretty snug", while Jimmy Cowan said he had gone on a strict diet to make sure it could fit.

The NZRU said the new strip would be "revolutionary" and mark the biggest changes in technology and design to the iconic All Blacks jersey in more than a decade.

It was designed and tested with help of captain Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Andrew Hore, Brad Thorn, Smith, Muliaina, and Keven Mealamu.

"It's not change for change's sake," McCaw said. "I'm a traditionalist when it comes to rugby and fans can rest assured that it still looks like a rugby jersey that you're proud to hold up and proud to run out and wear."

All Blacks Manager Darren Shand was also involved in the development of the jersey.

He said the 2011 jersey would again raise the bar for both technology and design, but would be respectful to its 127-year legacy.

"The players were mindful that they are the guardians of the jersey while they are wearing it, so took that responsibility very seriously in the new design which we think will add to the legacy."

Smith said he was impressed with the final product, and believed it could give the players an advantage on the field.

"When you look at the way the jersey progressed, I think it's definitely come a long way, so I think it's another step in that direction."

Cowan said the new design would not be as controversial as the Highlanders jersey, and fans would be excited when it was revealed.

When asked about the technology behind the jersey, he did not rule out the possibility of it being harder to grasp, helping with tackles during a game.

"I've been sworn to secrecy, so I can't say much," he said.