Brand Info

Samurai Rugby was founded in 1996 when Terry Sands, the current manager of The England Sevens Team, was invited to enter a team into the 25th anniversary of the Amsterdam Sevens.

Terry had been working in South Africa during the World Cup of 1995 and had greatly admired the spirit and perseverance shown by the Japanese Team. They had lacked the physical requirements for 15-a-side rugby on such a big stage but were passionate, adventurous and always willing “to think outside the box”. It was these attributes that became the inspiration for the name behind his invitation team – The Samurai.

The Samurai Team won the Amsterdam tournament and immediately became crowd favourites. This was due to both the manner in which they played and their striking and unique playing kit – Two stars were born that weekend. Samurai International RFC and Samurai Rugby.

For six years Terry managed Samurai Rugby on his own from premises in Billdeston, Suffolk. A major change took place in 2002 when he joined former England Full Back Simon Hodgkinson and his business partner Neil Bridgstock. The fit seemed perfect. Simon and Neil owned a business (Marquesman Sports Services Limited) that, although seemingly in competition with Samurai Rugby, specialised in different areas of the rugby market. Samurai was strong in the clubs market and specialised in clothing. Marquesman had close links to the schools and retail markets and concentrated mainly on equipment sales. The combined operation would be able to cover all the bases and cover them well. So it was decided that Marquesman Sports Services Limited was to be the company and Samurai the brand name for the clothing and equipment ranges.

The team and the sports business that is associated with it have both come a long way since those early days. The team now competes all over the world, is one of the most respected and well-known invitation sides on the planet and can boast that many of the great names of rugby have taken to the field in Samurai kit. At the same time the sports business has grown out of all proportion from the small acorn it once was and is now one of the major players in the U.K sports market.

The company is set up to be a little different to most of the competition. In a nutshell there are three sides to the Samurai story, not the usual two. Firstly, it now operates at the sharp end of the sports clothing and equipment market, manufacturing and supplying a wide range of bespoke Team Wear (for various sports) so that clubs and schools can create their own identity. Alongside this is a huge stock holding of playing and off-field wear, that satisfies the demands of those customers that need an immediate service. Finally, we have now moved into the high street. Our exciting range of retail products are now in-store in all the major U.K independent rugby specialists.

The company headquarters of Samurai International Sportswear Limited are located in Long Stratton, just south of Norwich where there is a total workforce of 31 – but as brand recognition gets stronger and sales continue to grow at over 20% per annum it is obvious that both the real estate the company occupies and the number of people it employs will only increase.