Glasgow will be wearing a revolutionary new playing kit which could just give them the edge when the going gets tough.
There have been a number of major advances in the development of playing kit over the past few years but next season Glasgow will be using a new latex jersey designed by Chinese company Shiburb which, if successful, could revolutionise the sport, and help the company break into the western market.
The company's head of UK operations, Mr Lip Far Loo, said yesterday: "We believe our design can give Glasgow a huge advantage. With a conventional rugby jersey it is easy to grab it and use it as leverage when tackling. Why give the opposition that advantage? Our latex product is simply painted onto the player before every match, giving him a genuine second skin. The latex cannot be grabbed, tacklers will simply slide off the Glasgow players.
"Simple templates and stencils are used so sponsor's logos and team numbers can be applied easily. After the game the latex is peeled off. No kit needs to be washed so it's very economical. It's also versatile. During the winter months when it's colder, to keep the players warm, simply apply a second or third coat.
"It's also very handy should there be a clash of colours. If an opposing team has a jersey with colours that are bit too similar, we just open another tin of latex.
"The latex is very robust, but if it gets split it can simply be patched. A physio or water carrier can easily carry a small pot of latex and a brush to "patch-up" any exposed bits during breaks in play - no artistic skills are required."
The latex jersey has already been tested by the Australian womens rugby squad and has proved very successful. Attendances have rocketed at their games with a whole new generation of fans - mostly male - following the game. Shiburb hope for a similar success story in Europe, starting in Glasgow.
So far, so good, you would think - there are drawbacks however. The Australian tests showed that while the design itself performed well, the latex application process could be time consuming, often cutting into valuable warm-up time. A number of kick-offs were delayed as volunteers were still touching up some of the players with latex. Mr Loo claims these are teething problems that can be overcome. "I'm sure there will be no shortage of volunteers at Glasgow willing to give their time to apply the latex to the bodies of the players, or indeed, peel it off."
Some fear that the new latex kit could result in a loss of some of rugby's great traditions such as the swapping of shirt after internationals, with one old hand saying: "What the bloody hell are you supposed to do after a game now? Swap bloody patterns or paint brushes?"
Bad news for fans will be the absence of replica kit. Mr Loo explains: "The latex kit works very well and looks good on professional athletes - but I would advise against supporters turning up at games with the latex kit - it's not as easy on the eye, and the amount of latex needed would be economically prohibitive."