Euro chiefs 'apologise' for kit blunder

REACTION: European rugby chiefs have said they will apologise to Cardiff and Glasgow over the extraordinary kit clash that marred Sunday’s Champions Cup clash in the Welsh capital.

Both teams lined up in blue, with visitors Glasgow’s marginally the lighter – a situation Cardiff flyhalf Gareth Anscombe said was a “disgrace”.

It proved a particular problem in a first half where strong sunshine further reduced the visible difference between the strips to players on the field.

Tournament organisers European Professional Club Rugby said in a statement issued Monday: “EPCR has procedures in place for ensuring that playing kits for matches in its tournaments are distinctive, however, these procedures were not sufficiently followed through for last weekend’s Champions Cup, Round 2 match at Cardiff Arms Park.

“EPCR will be formally contacting both Cardiff Blues and Glasgow Warriors in due course to apologise,”

Glasgow won the pool match 29-12 but afterwards both sides made clear their unhappiness at the farcical situation they had been placed in.

“I don’t know who the guy’s job is to decide that, but he has got to face consequences for it. It was an out-and-out disgrace,” said Anscombe.

“I have never come across that in my eight years of playing rugby. Who is making those decisions? It’s a joke,” the Wales international added.

Traditionally in rugby union it has been the home side who wear their second-choice shirt if there is a colour clash.

But under tournament rules, teams must submit two kit designs to EPCR before the start of the competition and a fortnight before each fixture officials tell them which strip they will be wearing.

“The kit data gets sent in and they looked at the colours and said there was no clash,” said Glasgow coach Dave Rennie.

“I’m not sure about that, and we would have been more than happy to bring our black [change] kit along.”

Cardiff counterpart John Mulvihill added: “We complained before the game about the jerseys. The jerseys were exactly the same colour.

“It would have been an absolute nightmare for the referee, an absolute nightmare for the assistant referees, and running into that sun in that first half the boys couldn’t differentiate who was their teammate and who wasn’t. It was ridiculous.”

Agence France-Presse