adidas RS Rugby Boots

You would usually hear some boots as speed boots and some as control boots. With the adidas RS, you have an option that aims to be both. It is inspired by the fact that the modern rugby game is becoming faster and the players becoming more versatile. Regardless of your place on the field, RS is there to give you multidirectional speed. Antoine Dupont, Beauden Barrett and Finn Russell are some of the players giving the RS a go in the professional level. The current adidas RS is named RS15, and it comes at the following price points:

To give you a bit of history for the RS15, the adidas boot is the merger of two previous boots. It combines the speedy attributes of the RS7 and the kicking capabilities of the Predator Malice. It’s this amalgamation that makes the RS15 a boot that addresses a multitude of needs for today’s rugby players.

RS15 PRO


Fusionskin Technology

Leather forefoot transitioning to Ripstop fabric rear

Speedframe Outsole

The same tooling used for the adidas X speed boots

As far as the upper is concerned, the RS15 is defined by its Fusionskin material, which has a leather vamp and a ‘Ripstop’ fabric quarter. They are seamed angularly right on the midfoot. A sticky coating is present on the leather area and provides the boot with some water protection. Because the RS15 replaces the Predator’s rubber elements with a thin coating, the boot allows the upper to remain soft and pliable. The off-centred lacing gives the RS15 a wide striking surface area. With a standalone tongue, you can open up the boot to give you as much adjustability as needed to get your foot in. Lockdown is pretty much secure as you have the laces to tie down.

The tooling here is the same Speedframe that football boot fans are familiar with in the adidas X speed boots. It essentially has an Aeroplate plastic material that has some stiffness to it to enable a springback effect. Triangular moulded studs accompanies the screw-in metal studs. Inside, Sensepod padding in the heel helps secure lockdown on that part of the boot.

I will like the adidas RS15 because…

I am a speedy player who is also good at kicking the ball. That sticky coating is effective in delivering ball grip upon contact to help you direct it. It also has that nice thud and catch when doing a drop kick. RS15 is also to my liking as far as kicking is concerned because of that extra space given by the off-centred lacing system.

Speaking of the lacing system, since it offers a no nonsense way of securing the boot, I would prefer the adidas boot simply because I can ensure it won’t fly away from my foot when the going gets tough. It’s also a plus that it has a standalone tongue, which helps me open up the boot and adjust it to accommodate just a few more width.

Overall, the boot is lightweight, and that’s what I need as I don’t want a boot to burden me and hinder my pace. The snapback is really there and gives me that sensation of boosting my acceleration.

RS15 ULTIMATE

The Ultimate is the first takedown option from the top-end Pro. To trim down the price, the forefoot has been changed to a mesh-based material with a plastic overlay, while the fabric on the quarter is not as premium as the Ripstop. 3D-printed elements take over from the sticky coating, and they are not necessarily Predator-like, which means there’s a noticeable drop-off in grip levels. The silhouette is relatively unchanged. The outsole just looks like Speedframe, but it’s a different plastic that is on the flexible side.

RS15 ELITE

Going a step lower with the RS15 Elite, you now get a decent leather upper that has some seams and stitching shaped to the cutouts of the overlay found on the Pro. The shape is more generic and can certainly appeals to more foot shapes than that of the Pro or Ultimate. Because of the upper, the boot has nice dampening effect on ball contact but certainly no grip or control element whatsoever. Traction is less aggressive now because all moulded studs have been switched to conicals.

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