Springboks and Ireland’s jersey tradition: Respecting history, avoiding 2017 clash embarrassment
The Springboks and Ireland will uphold the longstanding tradition of the home team wearing their alternate kit when they face off at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. This tradition is rooted in historical tours, where it ensured visiting teams didn’t have to bring extra jerseys to avoid clashes.
South Africa has been wearing their white alternate jersey in two of their three end-of-year tour matches this year, adhering to World Rugby’s colorblind guidelines. While their traditional green and gold didn’t clash with Italy’s or France’s blue, the Springboks opted for white to make the game easier for colorblind fans, a condition affecting around 300 million people worldwide, including former World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont.
The Quilter Nations Series, organized by the Six Nations, has adopted this optional policy, leading to the kit changes. However, the Six Nations ditched the