Springboks to wear white against Ireland after fans get hot under the collar

The Boks will wear their third-choice, all white kit against the Irish at the Stade de France on Saturday.

NOT SO FAN-TASITC: South Africa’s Faf de Klerk takes selfies with fans, many of whom do not like their second choice jersey. Pic Credit ©INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Steve Haag

The Springboks have confirmed that they will wear a third-choice, all-white kit against Ireland for the Pool B encounter at Stade de France this Saturday.

If that seems like an incidental trifle ahead of such a monumental meeting then it is no small thing given the ructions caused by the “hyper-jade and white” strip that the team sported for the tournament opener against Scotland in Marseille.

The unveiling of the garment pre-tournament was met with some disgust with fans comparing it to a type of mouthwash and assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said earlier this month that the team had 'made their peace' with it.

Hardly a ringing endorsement. This version won’t be worn in Saint-Denis on the basis that it is too similar to Ireland’s green – which has also been criticised by plenty of supporters due to its particular shade – so the all-white it is.

Such has been the interest in, and disquiet over, the jade jersey that it prompted the South African union to put out a press release on Monday afternoon which began by insisting that the traditional green and gold is worn whenever permitted.

The missive added that new colour blindness guidelines in operation at the Rugby World Cup have increased the number of times that one team has to switch shirts and that this was the reason for the clobber against the Scots.

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.

The press release pointed out that the Nike jerseys in question were presented to SA Rugby and a senior Springbok leadership group for approval and that the jersey is influenced by Ndebele design traditions and the South African landscape.

Supporters have voted with their wallets with sightings of the jade jersey thin on the ground among the thousands of Bok fans that have followed the team around Marseille and Bordeaux on the opening weekends.

“The Springboks are not permitted to wear the green and gold jersey in every Test match – as much as we would like to,” said the press release.

“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.”