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The Springboks have released a statement explaining that they were required by World Rugby to wear their alternate jersey against Scotland partially under new colour blindness guidelines.
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There was some discord among fans around the ‘toothpaste’ green alternative kit worn against Scotland in the opening round, with many fans not keen on the new kit design.
The Boks – who were their standard green and gold in the win against Romania – have confirmed that the alternative kit will be worn once against Ireland on Saturday in their crunch Pool B clash.
A Springboks spokesperson said: “The Springboks are not permitted to wear the green and gold jersey in every Test match – as much as we would like to. The alternative jersey colour is white, but Nike proposed enhancing the plain look with a modern design drawing on various influences in a new combination to appeal to a new and wider audience. It was presented to senior Springboks, who gave it their seal of approval.”
They also pointed out that the ‘Springbok primary jersey of green and gold is always worn as the first choice whenever permitted.’
A bullet-pointed missive explained that: “On those occasions where a jersey clash must be avoided, the Springboks may be required to wear an alternate jersey.
“New colour blindness guidelines are in operation at the Rugby World Cup, which have increased the number of occasions on which one of the competing teams is required to wear an alternative jersey. South Africa was required to change for Scotland and will do so for the match against Ireland on 23 September.
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“South Africa’s first alternate is hyper-jade and white; the second alternate is white with a hyper-jade collar. Replicas of the primary (green) and alternate (hyper-jade) have been produced for sale. The second alternate (all white) will be worn against Ireland as the hyper-jade is too like Ireland’s green jersey. Should the Springboks progress to the knockout stages of the competition, and if they are drawn as Team B against a team with a clashing colour the team will wear the hyper-jade alternate as the first option. Jerseys are designed by sports team apparel manufacturers and ultimately approved by the relevant federation.”
The jerseys were also given the green light by senior members of the Springboks team.
