Wales and Ireland will wear their traditional plain red and green jerseys against each other for the final time in the Six Nations a week on Saturday.

From January, Six Nations teams will be mandated to avoid kit clashes which could negatively impact colour blind viewers. The same rules will apply to all nations at the 2027 Rugby World Cup. 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.

Wales have confirmed they will wear red when they face Ireland in Dublin for the Six Nations third round clash on February 24, but CEO Abi Tierney insists associated problems for colour blind fans are a top priority. She says it is "regrettable" Wales' current kit cycle has not dealt with the problem, but revealed it will be resolved by the time next year's tournament begins.

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Wales' current change kit of black, or previous green versions, does not address the issue, meaning a more distinct change can be expected going forward. Tierney has suggested the colour of future jerseys won't be the only option considered, with patterned designs also under consideration.

The ruling from Six Nations will ask visiting teams to wear change kits where a colour match has been identified, meaning in 2025 it would be Ireland travelling to Cardiff to wear a change strip if both kits remained the same, but Tierney says work is ongoing to look at the problem more laterally in Wales.

“Kit colour clashes do change the way you watch a game and I have absolute empathy with those whose enjoyment is affected as a result,” said Tierney.

“Of course, this is an emotive issue and red is such a traditional colour for Wales, just as green is to Ireland. Change strips always take a bit of getting used to and they can be ‘marmite’ to supporters.

“Our current alternate kit is black, and we have used green in the recent past. Neither of these examples help with this issue and, additionally, the colour red in Wales is not just traditional but a part of our culture.

“But there are other ways to work around the issues and kits with significantly different designs can help avoid the problem too.

“We need to think laterally about how we can overcome the issue ahead of next year, perhaps not just with more inventive use of colours but in our kit designs too.

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“If one team is in checks and the other is in stripes, for example, then colours become pretty irrelevant, but we are thinking hard about a solution that works for everyone.

“Tradition and heritage is hugely important in Welsh rugby and we want to reflect what the supporters want and what they are used to with our kit choices, but it is also extremely important to us that we are inclusive and welcoming to all.

“I think both ambitions are achievable, and I have every confidence in the expertise of our design teams that they will come up with a solution that works for all of our supporters and works for Welsh rugby.

“We recognise that this is a serious issue for many fans and we are taking it very seriously ourselves.

“It is regrettable that we haven’t reached a resolution to suit all this season, but I can confirm we are fully committed to correcting that in the next kit cycle.”