The men in red v the men in something else

WALES and Ireland will be banned from playing each other in their traditional colours, with rugby lawmakers planning to introduce a rule change as a means to help colour blind supporters.

The change will be implemented for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, where red-green kit clashes will be banned to aid those who find it difficult to identify and distinguish between the colours.

Red-green colour blindness is the most common form of the condition and, according to the NHS, affects around one in 12 men and one in 200 women.

Of all the fixtures which will be affected by the change, the clash between Six Nations rivals Wales and Ireland is the most obvious.

Marc Douglas, a qualified engineer who serves as research turf and equipment manager for World Rugby, told i about the importance of engaging those supporters who struggle with colour blindness.

“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,” he said.

The change will not only improve the experience for the thousands of fans either attending games or watching from home, but it will also aid players who are colour blind.

“Hopefully by the time Rugby World Cup 2027 comes round, this is the norm,” added Douglas.

“An awful lot of people don’t realise that they’re colour blind because they see what they see day to day and they don’t know that people see any different.

“We’ve identified quite a few areas that we can be much better at.”

There is hope that by implementing the change at World Cup level, rugby union may come to adopt the policy at all levels.

As yet, though, there is no such plan in place for the 2022 Six Nations, given the tournament is run by a separate organisation.