From this Six Nations onwards, one of the teams will wear a change strip for the benefit of colour blind fans.
There’ll be something different about Wales’ annual Six Nations encounter with Ireland in February.
The two sides have traditionally played each other in their famous red and green kits, but from this season onwards, one of them will have to run out in an alternative kit.
The shift has nothing to do with sportswear suppliers pushing to show off their latest change strip, however. Instead, it’s part of a World Rugby initiative to help players, officials and fans with colour vision deficiency (also known as colour blindness) tell the two opposing teams apart.
Around one in 12 men and one in 200 women have CVD, meaning a sizeable proportion of the rugby community is affected. Distinguishing between red and green can be particularly difficult if you’re colour blind, so the move should improve the match day experience for large numbers of supporters.
World Rugby rolled out its “colour blindness in rugby” guidelines in 2021, and since the start of this year they’ve been policy for all of the governing body’s rugby competitions.
Macron Men’s Wales Home Shirt | £79.99 £70.00
Wales will wear their traditional red shirts at the Principality Stadium this year but will have to wear a change strip for next year’s trip to the Aviva Stadium.
Wales’ and Ireland’s 22 February match at the Principality Stadium marks the first time the rule change has been enforced in the Six Nations. Wales and Ireland will now have to give their traditional jerseys a week off every other season, just as the competition’s three teams in blue (France, Italy and Scotland) have been doing for decades.
Read more: Upcoming Wales rugby fixtures and upcoming Ireland rugby fixtures
Until last season it was the home side who wore their alternative strip in the Six Nations, but since 2024 the tournament has taken the football approach, allowing the hosts to stay in their traditional colours. This means that Ireland, as visitors, will be the team to change kit in 2025, and we’re guessing they’ll take to the field wearing their predominantly white away shirts.
Canterbury Men’s Ireland Alt Pro Jersey | £82.99
Ireland’s away shirt is set to make history at the Principality Stadium, as Simon Easterby’s men change to avoid a colour clash with the red of Wales.
World Rugby’s colour blindness guidelines cover much more than encounters between red and green, however, stating that “to minimise the risk of a clash, one team should play in a dark kit and the other in a light kit.” These guidelines may prevent the All Blacks and the Springboks meeting in their traditional kits in this year’s Rugby Championship.
World Rugby also recommends that teams who primarily play in a dark colour should select a light away kit (and vice versa) – hence Wales’ changing their away shirt from black to white for this season – adding that “primary and alternate kits should be able to play against each other without causing a colour blind kit clash”. Teams should also try to ensure that any pattern on the shirts is spread across the entire jersey (not just front or back), and that numbers contrast sufficiently with the background.
Socks are also covered by the new guidance, and must not only be distinguishable from each other – efforts should also be made to avoid potential CVD clashes with the pitch.
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