UK Boot Brand OXEN Sports Signs Racing 92 Forward Manyarara
Image by OXEN Sports
OXEN Sports, a UK based rugby boot brand, has signed Racing 92 backrower Shingirai Manyarara as its newest athlete, and the deal is built as much around his ties to South Africa as his form in the TOP 14. Rather than simply buying a rising player's face for a kit deal, OXEN has attached itself to Manyarara's development story, including a commitment to support Kingswood College, the South African school where he learned the game, as it tries to establish credibility in a French market it hasn't yet properly entered.
Manyarara is Zimbabwean, capped for his country at under-20 level, and came through Kingswood College before joining Racing 92 in 2023. He made his professional breakthrough in the 2024/25 season and became a regular starter through 2025/26, a campaign in which Racing 92 reached the TOP 14 semi-finals. He has since signed his first professional contract with the Paris club, committing through to 2029, one of the longer terms a young back rower in French rugby has locked in recently.
Under the OXEN deal, Manyarara will wear the brand's boots and work with the company on future initiatives at Kingswood College. OXEN describes itself as UK based with three decades in the sports industry, and the signing lands as the brand pushes into France and builds a European distribution network to get its boots, technical apparel and performance products in front of clubs and consumers across France and mainland Europe.
Lee Jenkinson, CEO of OXEN Sports, said: "Shingi is exactly the type of athlete we want to build the OXEN brand alongside. He is powerful, athletic and uncompromising in the way he plays, but he is also ambitious, grounded and determined to keep developing."This signing is also another important step in OXEN's international growth. France is one of the biggest and most passionate rugby markets in the world, and with our European distribution operation launching soon, we are excited to begin building a much stronger presence there."
Shingirai Manyarara added:"I'm proud to become an official OXEN athlete and to join a brand that has such strong ambitions within rugby."OXEN understands what modern players need from their footwear and performance products."I'm still at the beginning of my career and focused on working hard to improve every day. I believe OXEN shares that same mentality, so this feels like a really exciting partnership."
The Kingswood College commitment is the part that should get less skepticism than the rest of the deal. It's a named, specific obligation rather than a passing mention, and it gives the school ongoing backing it wouldn't otherwise have. Whether that becomes real investment in coaching, equipment or scholarships, is the thing worth watching once the European distribution network is actually live.
