The rugby shirt sits in a part of the wardrobe that most men either get exactly right or completely ignore. Done well, it hits that specific register between a sweatshirt and a proper collar shirt that is genuinely difficult to land any other way. The problem is the cheap versions. Thin cotton that pills after three washes, collars that lose their shape by the second wear, plackets that pucker. You end up with something that looks like it came free with a case of beer rather than something you actually wanted to put on. The ones we’ve pulled together here cost a bit more and are worth every dollar of the difference. Heavier cotton, proper rib detailing, colors that have been thought about rather than defaulted to. They work with chinos, with jeans worn in, with a simple overshirt on top when the temperature drops. A well made rugby shirt is a quiet workhorse. These are the ones that earn the description.