Ireland to wear white in Six Nations clash with Wales to help colour blind fans

Finlay Bealham wearing white for Ireland against Tonga in the 2023 World Cup.

Ireland will wear white shirts during their Guinness Six Nations match away to Wales in order to help supporters impacted by colour blindness.

The back-to-back champions, who began their latest title defence with victories over England and Scotland, face winless Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, February 22.

Ireland have traditionally worn their green home jerseys for previous trips to the Principality Stadium, including their last visit - a 34-10 win en route to the Grand Slam in 2023. But the combination of red, worn by Wales, and green is a particular problem for people with colour vision deficiency (CVD).

New World Rugby regulations require visiting teams to switch to an alternative option in order to avoid kit clashes which could negatively impact spectators and television viewers suffering from CVD.

Around one in 12 men and one in 200 women are affected by the condition.

The Welsh Rugby Union faced criticism during last year's championship when they declined to switch to their alternative black jerseys for the reverse fixture in Dublin.