World Rugby’s move to help colour blind fans means that, from this year’s Six Nations onwards, one of the teams will wear an alternative kit
There’ll be plenty of headlines swirling around Wales’ annual Six Nations encounter with Ireland this weekend. Can Ireland continue their march towards a second Grand Slam in three years? Can new interim Welsh coach Matt Sherratt restore confidence to a side that’s lost 14 games on the bounce?
But there’ll be another massive talking point f0r Saturday’s game in Cardiff, one that will become apparent as soon as the players take to the Principality Stadium turf. The two sides have traditionally met wearing their famous red and green kits, but from this year onwards, one of the two sides will have to switch to an alternative strip.
But this change has nothing to do with sportswear suppliers showing off their latest change strip, as they often do in the Autumn Nations Series. 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.
Read more: Upcoming Wales rugby fixtures and upcoming Ireland rugby fixtures
Macron Men’s Wales Home Shirt | £79.99 £60.00
Wales will wear their traditional red shirts at the Principality Stadium this year and you can currently save 25% on the RRP. They’ll have to wear a change strip for next year’s trip to the Aviva Stadium.
World Rugby’s colour blindness guidelines
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.
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 Wales v Ireland match day experience for thousands of fans.
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 also prevent the All Blacks and the Springboks meeting in their traditional kits in this year’s Rugby Championship.
- See also: How to watch Wales v Ireland
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.
Even socks are 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.
Canterbury Men’s Ireland Alt Pro Jersey | £82.00
Ireland’s away shirt is set to make history at the Principality Stadium, as Simon Easterby’s men make a change to avoid a colour clash with the red of Wales.
What do the changes mean for the Six Nations?
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: Why the home team no longer changes shirts in the Six Nations
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 this week’s visitors, will be the team to change kit in 2025, so we’re guessing they’ll take to the field wearing their predominantly white away shirts.
Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door.