The All Blacks and Springboks will stick with tradition when they clash at Eden Park on Saturday, despite World Rugby’s push for teams to wear more contrasting kits for colour-blind spectators.
According to The Post, New Zealand Rugby has confirmed Scott Robertson’s side will wear their famous black strip, while Jesse Kriel will lead the Boks out in the iconic green and gold.
That means the two nations will once again meet in their traditional jerseys – something they have done for more than a century – even though World Rugby’s new “light versus dark” guidelines came into effect this year.
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The global body estimates around 300 million people worldwide live with some form of colour blindness, including former chairman Bill Beaumont, with red-green the most common type among men.
World Rugby has already applied the policy in its own tournaments, with the Junior Springboks wearing white in this year’s U20 Championship final against New Zealand.
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At the 2023 World Cup, teams such as Portugal, Wales, Georgia, Ireland, Tonga and South Africa all wore alternates, but the Boks and All Blacks refused to ditch their traditional kits in the final.
While the Six Nations unions have embraced the guideline – even adding player names to their jerseys – Sanzaar has no such mandate for the Rugby Championship.
Photo: Anton Geyser/AG Media
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