Wales & Ireland to ditch red and green rugby-rivalry

Colour blind rugby followers and players will no longer have to suffer through Ireland-Wales matches in silence, with World Rugby planning to ditch any red-green kit clashes.

Distinguishing between red and green is a common issue for colour blind people, with the condition affecting one in 12 men, including World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont. Fixtures between Ireland and Wales, playing in green and red respectively, have proven particularly problematic.

"From our perspective, if you're potentially limiting eight per cent of your male audience, that's a huge, huge number of people who are suddenly switching off," Marc Douglas of World Rugby told the i newspaper.

World Rugby, working with the organisation Colour Blind Awareness, are now aiming for all matches by the 2027 Rugby World Cup to avoid pitting two teams together playing in green and red, with one of the sides made to wear an alternative kit. There is no such plan in place for next year's Six Nations, given the tournament is run by a separate organisation.

Other international teams who also wear predominantly red strips include the British and Irish Lions, Canada, Chile, Spain and Tonga.

One rugby supporter informed Telegraph Sport that the difference between green and red kits was often harder to spot when watching matches on television, while night matches under floodlights were notably more difficult.

Another noted that the recent series between the Lions and South Africa had proven problematic given South Africa's darker shade of green kit.

"Colour blindness is largely misunderstood and the challenges for those who play, coach, officiate and support our sport is often overlooked," Beaumont told the i newspaper.

"As someone who experiences those challenges first hand, I am delighted that World Rugby have launched comprehensive guidance for all levels of the game that place visually-impaired considerations at the heart of our decision-making. Through this guidance, we hope to raise awareness and change culture through positive actions."

Colour blind kit clashes were a topic of conversation also in the NFL a few years ago during the league's 'Color Rush' phase for a game between the Buffalo Bills (in all red) and the New York Jets (in all green), with both teams wearing overly colourful versions of their usual attire.

The NFL responded to the issue the following season by making the Jets play in an all-white strip to avoid confusion.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission