Sport

Champions Cup organisers to apologise over Cardiff kit clash

Confusion for players as Cardiff and Glasgow both lined up in blue jerseys at Arms Park

Glasgow centre Huw Jones makes a break during the Champions Cup victory over Cardiff Blues at Arms Park on Sunday. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Mon Oct 22 2018 - 20:53

European Professional Club Rugby will apologise to Cardiff Blues and Glasgow Warriors over a kit clash in Sunday's Heineken Champions Cup game between the teams.

Both sides lined up in blue kits at the Arms Park – Glasgow's attire was a marginally lighter shade – and Blues' Wales international back Gareth Anscombe labelled the clash "a disgrace", saying EPCR should be held accountable for the confusion.

In a statement issued on Monday, tournament organisers EPCR said: “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 Heineken Champions Cup Round 2 match at Cardiff Arms Park.

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

Glasgow won the Pool 3 encounter 29-12 in bonus-point fashion, but the kit clash proved its major talking point.

Under tournament rules, each team must have two kits for Europe, which are submitted before the start of the competition, and two weeks before each game, EPCR tell the clubs which kit they are wearing, while also asking them for any observations, it is understood.

Speaking after the match, Anscombe said: “It was a disgrace, really. 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.

“In a split second, it was tough to differentiate who was in your team. It’s a joke.

“We have a bit of a game-plan of who we run back at, and it got easier as the sun went down, but early on with the sun in your eyes, the jerseys looked the same to me. EPCR need to put their hand up for that.”

Blues head coach 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 team-mate and who wasn’t.

“It was ridiculous. We asked if we could change jerseys at half-time, but it just didn’t happen.” – PA

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