With the British and Irish Lions about to play their first match against the Wallabies tomorrow night in Brisbane (19 July 2025), I thought I would finally investigate a question that I have had in my head for years—why do we call rugby shirts guernseys and jerseys. I was surprised to find that the tops we wear in rugby are internationally known as jerseys but it is only in Australia that they are known as guernseys. How fascinating is this!?
So why do Australians call the rugby top a guernsey while the rest of the world sticks with jersey?
Channel history
Both Jersey and Guernsey are English Channel islands, off the coast of Normandy. Both gave their names to types of knitted woollen cloth. The wool knit is tight and oiled so that the garments are warm, weatherproof, and long-wearing—ideal for North Atlantic fishermen. And, of course for playing rugby in the midst of winter in England (with ice on the ground for instance).
By the 19th century, the English were using “jersey” to refer to any knitted woollen pullover, and that word was used for early football shirts. Rugby players wore heavy cotton or woollen jerseys in team colours, often hooped and collared. When rugby league split from union in 1895 they still used “jersey” for their shirts.
So where does Guernsey come from?
Australians, as is often the case, went our own way. At some point in the early 20th century, the term “guernsey” started to appear in Australian football—probably as a local variation of jersey, or perhaps as a deliberate distinction. And it may be because the original guernseys and the AFL tops were sleeveless.
By mid-20th century, “guernsey” was used for Aussie Rules uniforms (often sleeveless, tighter fitting, and designed for hot weather). Rugby and rugby league may then have borrowed the term. Today, in Australia, both jersey and guernsey are used interchangeably. But guernsey is the local term that you’d hardly hear used in the UK or New Zealand.
By the way, both islands of Jersey and Guernsey have male and female rugby teams that play each other annually in the Siam Cup. And they wear “jerseys” and “guernseys” respectively.
Giving someone a Guernsey
We also have developed our own idiom from the word. The phrase “to give someone a guernsey” has entered Australian English meaning to give someone a go, a spot on the team, or a positive mention in.
Jersey vs Guernsey
So what’s the difference between a jersey and a guernsey? Nothing really. Both names are variants once used to mean hard-wearing fishermen’s woollens. We should take it as a matter of pride that while “jersey” is the international term, “guernsey” is distinctively Australian.