In a good omen of sorts for the Springboks, they will wear their traditional green and gold jerseys against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, with their hosts wearing white.
In their last two tour games, against Italy and France, the Boks have magnanimously worn their alternative white strip in sympathy for the approximately 300-million colour-blind rugby viewers around the world. The green of the Boks is difficult to differentiate from the various shades of blue of the Italy and France jerseys.
Former World Rugby chairman and British and Irish Lions captain Bill Beaumont is colour blind and has driven the initiative of teams wearing jerseys helpful to those affected by the vision disorder.
For over a century, the tradition in rugby has been for the home team to respect their visitors by wearing an alternative kit if there is a colour clash. Quaintly, this dates back to the olden days when teams travelled by ship and the kit they had with them was pretty much it, while the home team could at least make a plan and use a local club team’s kit if necessary.
Therefore, the Aviva Stadium in Dublin will see Ireland running out in white and the Springboks will be resplendent in their green and gold.
Before Irish fans complain, they should remember that when Ireland toured South Africa last year, the Boks respected tradition by wearing white to allow their visitors to wear their emerald green.
Also, at the 2023 World Cup on neutral territory in France, the Boks generously played in white in their pool game against Ireland, who wore their normal strip.
