Wales or Ireland may have to change out of their traditional jerseys if they are drawn to play each other at the 2027 Rugby World Cup as part of plans to help colour blind rugby fans.
Difficulty distinguishing between the red and green colours worn by the two teams is the most common form of colour blindness, a condition which is thought to impact around one in 12 men and one in 200 women.
The move comes after Sir Bill Beaumont, the chairman of World Rugby, revealed he has colour vision deficiency and former Scotland captain Chris Paterson said he sometimes struggled to distinguish between navy blue and dark red during his playing days.
Click and drag to see how an Ireland v Wales rugby match might look to people with regular sight compared to those with colour-blindness
World Rugby is aiming to avoid two teams playing against each other in red and green at the 2027 Rugby Word Cup. Pictured: left, what a Wales v South Africa game may look like to someone with colour blindness. Right, how it looks to regular viewers
Colour blindness is thought to affect approximately 300million people worldwide and with 8 per cent of men living with the condition, as many as 3,000 fans at a game could be struggling to distinguish between colours.
Marc Douglas, World Rugby's research, turf and equipment manager, told the i newspaper: 'From our perspective, if you're potentially limiting 8% of your male audience, that's a huge, huge number of people who are suddenly switching off.'
World Rugby is aiming to avoid two teams playing against each other in red and green at the 2027 Rugby Word Cup, and where clashes do occur, one team will be forced to wear their alternative kit.
The change would also impact Canada and Tonga, who wear red, and South Africa, who wear green.
It is understood the change will not come into force for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France as kit designs have been finalised.
Colour blindness is thought to impact one in 12 men, with difficulty distinguishing between red and green being the most common issue. Pictured: Wales v Ireland in the Six Nations in February
World Rugby, in partnership with the charity Colour Blind Awareness, published a set of guidelines to help people involved in the sport face the challenges posed by the condition.
The document highlighted implications of colour blindness in the areas of kit clashes, equipment and TV coverage among others with World Rugby saying it would work towards adopting them and encouraged stakeholders to support its effort.
One rugby supporter told Telegraph Sport that distinguishing between red and green was more difficult on television, especially during games played under headlights, while the recent Lions series against South Africa posed particular problems due to the home team's darker green kit.
Click and drag to see how an Ireland v Wales rugby match might look to people with regular sight compared to those with colour-blindness
Bill Beaumont, chairman of World Rugby
'I too have CVD and I am proud of the steps that we have taken in partnership with Colour Blind Awareness to both educate and inform in this important area in the form of these
