'Poor ref': Hurricanes and Fiji rugby teams wear near identical uniforms in farcical kit clash
Updated . First published at
This article originally appeared on Stuff and is reproduced with permission
Rugby is one of the worst offenders when it comes to sporting kit clashes but the Hurricanes and Fiji took things to a whole new level at the Super Rugby under-20 tournament in Taupo at the weekend.
In farcical scenes, both age-group teams were allowed to take the field at Owen Delany Park in near identical white and black uniforms, making it difficult for the casual viewer to work out which team was which.
The Hurricanes' senior teams traditionally wear yellow and black but the jerseys worn by the under-20 team were primarily white with yellow swirls, which were hard to make out on the Sky Sport broadcast once the camera zoomed out, making for a direct clash with Fiji's strip.
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The Hurricanes and Fiji under-20s teams played in near identical kit. Sky Sport
The decision to allow two teams to take the field in strikingly similar uniforms was widely derided on social media after the match, with one person describing it as "the worst jersey clash of all time" on the All Blacks' YouTube channel.
"Poor ref," added another.
The reaction to the kit clash was noted by New Zealand Rugby.
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In a statement to Stuff, they said the Hurricanes jersey appeared more yellow in photos prior to the tournament than it did on the live broadcast and they apologised to viewers who found the match difficult to follow.
"We definitely acknowledge the similarities in the Hurricanes and Fiji jerseys from the Super Rugby Under 20 match on Saturday," a spokesperson said.
"The Hurricanes jerseys appeared much more yellow in the photo we viewed before the tournament began, but this was much less clear on game day, particularly on broadcast.
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"We apologise to our fans who may have found the match difficult to follow. We've noted this for the future, so it won't happen again."
The Hurricanes ran out comfortable 65-10 winners on the day to advance to Tuesday's semi-finals, or was that Fiji?
Kit clashes have occurred at the highest level of Super Rugby the past. In 2020, the Bulls were forced to change into their alternative yellow jerseys at halftime because their home jersey was too hard to distinguish with Highlanders' blue.
