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The Welsh Rugby Union are to end their kit deal with Under Armour four years ahead of schedule.

American company Under Armour have been the kit supplier for all of Wales’ international teams since 2008, while also producing replica gear for fans.

In 2015, they signed a nine-year renewal, worth a reported £33m, with the WRU, which was due to take them through until 2024.

But now they and the Union have amicably agreed to terminate the contract at the end of next year.

The WRU are currently in discussions with a number of leading manufacturers about taking over as suppliers.

Wales will play in the Under Armour kit for the final time in next year’s autumn internationals and the new kit will be used for the first time in the 2021 Six Nations.

The plan is to put in place a seven-year deal.

The WRU’s Sales & Marketing Manager Craig Maxwell explained to WalesOnline: “We had conversations with Under Armour middle to end of last year, where they were identifying their strategy was changing.

“So we decided after 11 years together it was probably best for both of us that we looked at what else was in the market.

“We have had a massively successful 11 years together.

“They have been incredible with their support for us. They have been absolutely amazing and we have done a lot to help them, launching in the European market.

“Back in 2008, nobody knew who they were. So it’s been a real partnership of benefit and one that’s been really successful in rugby terms.

“But after 11, 12 years together, it’s time for both of us to try something different and new and see what happens in the future.

“It’s a massively amicable split. We are working very closely together.

“We both wanted to make sure they supported us for the World Cup in Japan, which is really important.

“We also wanted to go further than that, so any supporter buying a jersey for Japan can know it’s got that normal 18 month to two year longevity on it.

“So the supporters aren’t being disadvantaged in just buying a jersey for three or four months.

“We decided the end of 2020 was probably a good time for us to get back into the market to find a partner to help us towards 2023 in France.”

You can read about all the free stuff the Wales players get from Under Armour here.

The WRU are now in the process of deciding on their new kit partners following discussions with a number of companies, with Wales’ Grand Slam success having been very timely in terms of bargaining power.

“We started talking to people pre-Christmas,” said Maxwell.

“Conversations were then going on during the Six Nations.

“A lot of the potential brands have been coming over to games and seeing what it’s all about, which was perfect timing!

“We are now in a position over the next month where we are waiting to receive the offers and we will need to make a decision then.

“There are still five to six companies we are talking to at the moment.

“We hope they will all make offers.”

Outlining the decision-making process, Maxwell said: “It’s financial, it’s down to the product quality, it’s down to the service they will provide.

“It’s down to the way they will work with retailers to make it available for supporters, because the Welsh jersey is purchased all over the world.

“So there are a range of factors we will look at, financial, team performance, supporter provision and servicing.

“Everything will be made specifically for the teams. It will be bespoke and we want to make sure the product for supporters will be of similar quality.”

The deal with Under Armour was initially struck in 2007, with the American company replacing Reebok as kit supplier.

Wales first donned their gear against South Africa in November 2008, and the contract was renewed in 2011 and 2015.

It’s understood the original Under Armour deal was worth roughly £2.5m a year, with the latest renewal seeing the annual fee rise to around £3.7m.

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So who will the WRU choose as their next kit manufacturers?

Well, you can see the potential brands by looking at who is already in the rugby market.

Macron are the providers for Scotland and Italy, as well as the Scarlets and Cardiff Blues, while England, Ireland and Japan are with Canterbury, as are the Ospreys.

New Zealand have a deal with Adidas, France are with Le Coq Sportif, while South Africa and Australia are with Asics.

Nike are the manufactures for Argentina, with the Dragons wearing VX3 gear.

Wales’ kit sponsorship deal with Japanese car manufacturer Isuzu, which runs until 2021, will be unaffected by the change of suppliers.