Nike loses England rugby shirt deal to Canterbury Chris Stephenson, the chief executive of Canterbury, said he was confident that he had timed the deal well. I genuinely think they are playing more as a team. And the opportunity to grow a bunch of young guys into a formidable team is one of the main reasons why we thought it would be a great deal for us. He added that even when England were not performing well, they were always being talked about. It's great for brand awareness. Nike, in conjunction with England's coach Clive Woodward, were instrumental in developing the modern tight-fitting rugby jerseys. However, the RFU has been criticised in recent years for frequent kit changes and the use of non-England colours. The all-black kit was particularly controversial during last year's World Cup in New Zealand, and England received a warning from organisers after some shirt numbers peeled off during the opening game against Argentina. Canterbury was founded in New Zealand more than 100 years ago, but it fell into administration in 2009. JD bought the brand as well as the Stockport distribution centre in 2009 for £6.5m. JD also owns The Duffer of St George and Kooga Rugby brands. Mr Stephenson said that the turnover of Canterbury, which is nearly £50m a year, would be boosted to the tune of £30m to £40m over the course of the four-year contract. It reflects how keen we are to grow the awareness of rugby. JD's shares moved up 3.5 to 813.5p.