Boks in white against the All Blacks?: ‘Sad and a little weird’

If World Rugby have their way then we have possibly seen the last of the Springboks against the All Blacks with the teams in their traditional green and black jerseys.

This, after news emerged on Friday that World Rugby have approved a 2021 decision to accommodate people who suffer from colour vision deficiency, or colour blindness.

The proposal means teams would have to wear distinctly different coloured jerseys against one another, that is one jersey being dark and the other light.

SA Rugby and New Zealand have, according to Daily Maverick, said they will oppose the move.

‘One of rugby’s great traditions’

The decision is expected to come into effect in 2025, but according to some reports may be implemented as soon as the World Cup in France later this year.

Former Springbok wing Breyton Paulse said he was shocked by the news that the Boks and All Blacks might not face each other again in their traditional home kit.

“The Boks in green and the All Blacks in black is one of rugby’s truly great traditions,” said Paulse on Friday.

“It would be a little weird to see the Boks in white taking on the All Blacks. I don’t think it would go down very well with former players.

“Boks, All Blacks Tests are a wonderful spectacle … it’s special seeing those teams in action against each other in their green and black jerseys. And it’s been that way for years. It would be sad if we went down this (new) route.”

Paulse added: “I think we all respect people who are colour blind, but there’s never been talk of this.
“I really hope the powers that be can talk about this matter and review it in a respectful way … because if this decision were to be accommodated, it would be hard to accept.”

The Citizen spoke to other former players but they declined to comment.

SA Rugby to fight decision

According to Daily Maverick, SA Rugby have written to World Rugby indicating they might not follow the protocol.

The publication quoted SA Rugby’s acting CEO Rian Oberholzer as saying, “While SA Rugby supports World Rugby’s ambition to make rugby as inclusive as possible, we have serious reservations about the potential impact the application of the colour-blindness regulations may have, and believe they need further interrogation.”

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Australia’s Wallabies (normally in gold) have agreed to wear white jerseys in their World Cup match against Portugal (red) later this year and have also, seemingly, accepted they may have to wear a changed strip against other nations in future, too.

Clashes of red and green are believed to be the most problematic for people who suffer with colour blindness.

The Springboks have worn white jerseys before, mainly when they have come up against Ireland (light green).