Ireland are set to rectify a long-standing complaint of fans with their jersey choice when they face South Africa in the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening.
The hotly-anticipated encounter will see Ireland attempt to continue their impressive record against the world champions in recent years, having only lost to the Springboks once since 2016.
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South Africa have not won on Irish soil in 13 years, and it remains the final achievement that has eluded Rassie Erasmus during his time as head coach of the ‘Boks.
There have been many memorable games between the sides during that period, though the games in Dublin have not been without controversy.
Ireland’s jersey choices against South Africa in Dublin have repeatedly drawn criticism down through the years. With rugby traditionally seeing the home team change kits in the event of a colour clash, games against the Springboks at the Aviva have required Ireland to wear a colour other than green.
However, in 2012, 2017, and 2022, they chose to wear a dark-coloured kit against South Africa’s dark green.
The 2017 jersey – composed of dark grey and green – garnered particular criticism, with the teams virtually indistinguishable to TV viewers.
Ireland’s decision to wear a navy jersey in their 2022 clash with South Africa (the sides’ most recent meeting in Dublin) received criticism from the Colour Blind Awareness organisation in an interview with Balls.ie. This colour-blind author was among the many in the Aviva Stadium that day who struggled with an easily avoidable clash.
Thankfully, Ireland seem to have learned from these missteps, and have rectified it with their jersey clash for Saturday’s mouthwatering clash.
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Ireland to wear white jersey v South Africa
The IRFU confirmed on Wednesday that Ireland will wear a white jersey in Saturday’s game against South Africa, ending an 11-year run of wearing clashing shades on home soil against the Springboks.
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— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) November 18, 2025
The move will be a welcome one for colour-blind fans, and mirrors the choice South Africa have routinely made when the roles have been reversed down through the years.
South Africa have generally opted for a white jersey when hosting Ireland, and were even forced into wearing a specially-commissioned kit when the sides met at the 2023 World Cup.
Having worn a white kit with a “hyper-jade” green pattern in their opening pool game against Scotland, the Boks wore a plain white kit when they faced Ireland a week later, a move forced by World Rugby.
Regulations brought in by World Rugby in recent years have sought to address the issues of colour-blind kit clashes, with Ireland wearing a white change kit in this year’s Six Nations game in Cardiff.
They will be wearing a new white Canterbury design for the first time in Saturday’s game.
Kick-off in the Aviva Stadium is 5:40pm on Saturday, with the game live on RTÉ 2 and TNT Sports.
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