The laws surrounding jersey clashes in the Six Nations are finally set to change for the 2025 championship, with Ireland's trip to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff set to be one of the biggest changes.
Increasing awareness of the difficulties posed to colour-blind fans by red-green clashes in recent years has led to criticism of the persistent decision by the IRFU and WRU to field their teams in home colours when facing each other in the Six Nations.
However, confirmation came this week that proposed World Rugby law changes will come into effect early next year which will mandate that the away team change their kit in the fixture in years to come.
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Six Nations to avoid colour blind clashes from next year
World Rugby announced in 2021 on Colour Blind Awareness Day that new regulations would be in place for the 2027 World Cup to prevent kit clashes between teams which would impact on colour-blind fans.
That policy was later brought forward to the 2023 tournament in France - explaining why Ireland wore white against Tonga (red) in the second game of the pool stage.
22 January 2024; Ireland captain Peter O'Mahony and Gareth Davies of Wales during the launch of the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
It will now be implemented in test rugby worldwide from the beginning of 2025, meaning that Ireland and Wales will no longer face each other in green and red.
This news comes alongside updated guidelines from the Six Nations on which side will wear their change kit when a colour clash occurs.
Previously, the tradition was that the home team would change for any of the blue clashes in the Six Nations. For example, if Scotland hosted France, the Scots would wear white with the French in blue.
However, as Saturday's clash between the sides in Edinburgh evidenced, that policy has now changed, with Six Nations seeking to modernise their policy and mandating that the away team will change to their alternate strip.
This means that for next year's game between Wales and Ireland in Cardiff, Ireland are likely to wear white.
Balls.ie previously spoke with Colour Blind Awareness CEO Kathryn Albany-Ward on the issue of colour blindness among rugby fans. Albany-Ward spoke about the lack of awareness displayed by those making decisions surrounding kit colours in rugby, and bemoaned the fact that a change would be so easy, and come with many positives:
They’ve certainly got form in terms of Ireland v Wales in the Six Nations and what they seem to be doing is passing off any of the responsibility onto the unions.
Then the unions will say, well, you know, we've got these kit deals. Why can't you vary the contract? It can't be in the best interests of Canterbury to get all this bad publicity. So surely they would also want to renegotiate.
You know, it's not beyond the wit of man, but obviously to me, I mean, it seems to be beyond the wit of Irish rugby and Welsh rugby to understand the negative implications on them of continuing to do it.
Traditionalists may be sad to see teams forced to change kits in new scenarios but this simple rule change will make a world of difference to colour-blind rugby fans who have struggled to tell the teams apart in this fixture in years gone by (including this overjoyed red-green colour-blind author).
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