Thousands of fans will no longer be able to watch the Wales vs Ireland Six Nations clash
THOUSANDS of fans will struggle to watch Wales against Ireland in the Six Nations this weekend.
During the head-to-head clash in Dublin there will be a kit clash, meaning people with color blindness will no longer be able to distinguish which team is which.
Campaigners have been disheartened to hear from the WRU that visitors Wales will wear their traditional red clothing and hosts Ireland will don their iconic green shirts.
About eight percent of men and less than one percent of women have some form of red-green color deficiency and will therefore be affected by the choice of strips for the match-up.
As an away team, Wales could opt to wear their black and yellow alternate kit to avoid causing problems for fans watching at home and in the stands.
And Kathryn Albany-Ward, founder of non-profit organization Color Blind Awareness, has become frustrated with the WRU after pleading with them to make change.
She said Email online: “I personally spoke to (Chief Executive) Nigel Walker of the WRU last spring to inform him of the problem and prior to that we had already been in discussions with the WRU kit staff.”
New World Rugby rules will come into effect next year to prevent kit conflicts from happening and Kathryn explained that she feels the changes have been ignored until that date arrives.
She said: “It feels like the issue has been postponed until then and I don't really understand why.
“France managed to play Scotland in their substitution lane.”
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A similar problem arose in football earlier this year when Newcastle United faced fierce rivals Sunderland in the FA Cup.
During the Tyne-Wear derby, both teams wore their home kits with predominantly white stripes.
Ireland will hope to continue their perfect start to this year's Six Nations when they host Wales next week.
Andy Farrell's side currently top the table after their high-scoring wins over both France and Italy.
Wales, on the other hand, are yet to win a game after narrow losses to both Scotland and England in their first two clashes.
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