The rugby shirt has had a proper resurgence and white is the version that rewards the most thought. Get it right and it reads as considered and clean. Get it wrong and it looks like you raided a sports lost and found. The difference comes down to a few things: collar construction that holds its shape, a placket that lies flat without gaping, and a fabric weight that drapes rather than clings. White also has a way of exposing every shortcut a manufacturer took, which is exactly why cheap ones look cheap immediately.

What we’ve pulled together here are white rugby shirts that look like they cost more than they do. Some sit closer to a casual shirt in their refinement. Others lean into the sportswear heritage but do it with better materials. All of them work tucked into tailored trousers or worn loose over jeans without looking like an afterthought. The white rugby shirt is one of the easiest things in a wardrobe to get right when you start with a good one.