Why Super Rugby needs less Blue

[RoosTah]

I’ve been wanting to write something about this for some time. I am big fan of Super Rugby, but there is something about it that does annoy me that is quite apart from the home town refs, long travel times and unfortunate time-difference problems. It’s more cosmetic and simple than that; it’s the ludicrous dominance of blue in the jerseys of Super rugby teams.


Contributor to 'The Roar' and veteran Sydney Morning Herald rugby writer, Spiro Zavos, has touched on this in his complaints about clashing jerseys. But while Spiro laments the poor administrate of the tournament that sees teams fail to wear away jerseys when there is a clear conflict with colours, I lament that such a consideration should be so often necessary in the first place.


Has anyone ever stopped to look at just how many of the teams in the competition feature blue prominently in their jerseys? It’s ridiculous when you sit down and and actually do a tally; the Waratahs, Bulls, Blues, Force, Rebels, Highlanders and Stormers all wear predominately blue (different shades, but blue all the same). Add the Brumbies in (who were wearing an almost full navy kit not long ago), and over half the teams wear in the competition have blue featuring prominently in their home jerseys.


Super Rugby is made of provinces with long held traditional colours, so in some sense it’s understandable, but not with our now acquisitions. In that sense I lay the blame heavily at Australia’s feet. Both the Force and Rebels could have chosen colours other than blue, but instead decided they’d do their utmost to make the colour scheme even more confusing than it already was.


What’s ever more stupid (and I mean stupid) is that the Force should be yellow and black, but decided AGAINST using their state colours because they didn’t want to clash with the Hurricanes. I’d have understood this if they instead decided to use pretty well any other colour than blue or red, but they chose … blue. What? You don’t use your state colours because you worry about them clashing with one team, and so then pick a colour used by half the teams in the competition? Why? Please, someone explain it to me, because it’s stupid to the point of being aggravating.


For the Rebels, I understand that Navy is Victoria’s state colours, but the Rebels aren’t Victoria; they’re Melbourne. Why couldn’t they play in purple or even dark green? Again, pretty well any other colour than navy blue would have been a better idea.


Some people may argue that Super Rugby has bigger problems and this is purely cosmetic. This is true, but the colour issue is emblematic of the deeper issues. The competition's administrators can't even seem to manage the uniforms of the participating teams, so it's little wonder they bungle referees, scheduling and game times.


Perhaps SANZAR could have a look at this and get the Rebels and Force to follow the path of the Highlanders by getting them to introduce a new away jersey colour scheme that isn’t just another white jersey (the automatic away selection for pretty well every blue team), but a unique colour that unclutters the tide of blue that dominates the competition.


Get the force to wear a different shade of yellow to the 'Canes and put the Rebels in dark green or purple. The Brumbies are still mostly white, so we can leave them alone, but at the very least the Aussie conference should really have more than two colour schemes now that there are five teams.

 

[ruggabee]

I've never noticed that before! That is a hell of a lot of blue. Pretty odd. I've no idea what the colours were for certain regions before the creation of the Super 12, but I'm assuming none of them would have wanted to relinquish their colours upon introduction including those that were already blue, so it's just always been left like that? However, I can't understand why the new teams like the Western Force and Rebels would go for blue as well knowing how common that colour already is. There's a whole palette to choose from but they go for... blue. Not an issue that's going to affect the state of rugby down that way but it's an interesting observation!

 

[dasNdanger]

I find it very confusing sometimes when everyone on the pitch is in some shade of blue. And I think today it was...the Bulls match? Maybe the Bulls match where the ref was in practically the same uniform as one of the teams. I'm not crazy about the bright pink ref uniforms, but at least you can tell who's officiating, and who's playing.





das

 

[nickdnz]

Yeah, mind mind was blown when the Rebels came out with their current jersey.

People occasionally complain about the Highlanders green away jersey - but at least it's something a bit different!

 

[dasNdanger]

There's also a lot of red. It was kinda funny when the Lions played the Reds, and the Lions were in red and the Reds where in white, and it had to be explained that when the ref referred to the 'red' player he meant the Lions and not the Reds.:huh:

Just crazy.


das

 

[RoosTah]

There's also a lot of red. It was kinda funny when the Lions played the Reds, and the Lions were in red and the Reds where in white, and it had to be explained that when the ref referred to the 'red' player he meant the Lions and not the Reds.:huh:

Just crazy.


das

There's actually not that much red. There is one team with red per conference and only one which is all red, so it's not really a problem in the way blue is, where at least two teams (and more in Aus) per conference are wearing it as their primary colour.

Although with queensland, they really ought to dump red and return the team to their prior maroon colour. Might make their name a little more confusing, but it would make more sense.

 

[RoosTah]

Yeah, mind mind was blown when the Rebels came out with their current jersey.

People occasionally complain about the Highlanders green away jersey - but at least it's something a bit different!

I actually quite like the highlanders away jersey and applaud their attempt to introduce something a little different. Sure there's blue in there, but it's the green that is dominant at least.

 

[dasNdanger]

There's actually not that much red. There is one team with red per conference and only one which is all red, so it's not really a problem in the way blue is, where at least two teams (and more in Aus) per conference are wearing it as their primary colour.

Although with queensland, they really ought to dump red and return the team to their prior maroon colour. Might make their name a little more confusing, but it would make more sense.

So...what do you propose? There really are just so many colors to go around. You have three primary colors: Red, Blue, and Yellow, and three secondary colors: Purple, Green, and Orange. Then you have all the rest that are variations of those colors. And you have a couple neutrals, like Brown and Grey, and Black and White, but the latter two are often default colors for shorts and such.

I'm gonna be a bit tongue in cheek here with my ideas for colors. Since I have no idea what provinces use which colors, I'm just going to go with what first comes to mind when I hear the names of the teams...

Sharks - Light blueish-grey backs, blending to white in the front...like a shark.
Bulls - Light brown, with a black bull horn pattern across the shoulders and down the sleeve.
Lions - Reddish-yellow, with a lion claw pattern around the neck.
Cheetahs - Light orange with black...spots.
Stormers - Dark grey, with yellow lightning bolts.

Chiefs - Purple. Just because they're badarrse enough to get away with wearing purple on a rugby pitch.
Hurricanes - Copperish-greenish-grey - the color the sky gets before a bad storm.
Blues - All true blue, all the time.
Highlanders - Plaid - preferably the flashy Macbeth tartan. Also...they must wear kilts.
Crusaders - Silver, with red accents - like blood-spattered armor.

Brumbies - My Little Pony rainbow colors, with bushy tails (players to provide the manes). (Or brown and white for those who prefer a more traditional pony...but the bushy tails remain.)
Waratahs - Bright pinkish-red, and green - ya know, like the flower.
Western Force - Dark orange and yellow (because it reminds me of Western Pest Control, my termite exterminators, and they use those colors)
Reds - All true red, all the time.
Rebels - Gut reaction is all black, since black is a sign of rebellion. There should also be a chain pattern on the jerseys. Too bad they can't make uniforms out of leather.

Sorry for not being serious...I needed a distraction tonight and this was it!



das

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

It's the same internationally, blue's a very popular colour unfortunately.

 

[dasNdanger]

It's the same internationally, blue's a very popular colour unfortunately.

You would think red would be more popular since it (to me) is a more intimidating as well as a more stimulating color. I would think that players in red uniforms would perform more aggressively, while those in blue would be a bit more relaxed since blue is a soothing color.


das

 

[RoosTah]

To be honest, like I say in the article, the only teams that really ought to change are the force and rebels. The Highlanders have already begun their change process, and you can't change teams like the bulls, blues and the Tahs, but you can definitely have a dark green Melbourne and a yellow or purple force. Then all you need to do is change the stormers kit back to what it was a few years ago.

you don't need to change everyone, but you certainly don't need 8 teams in a 15 team comp wearing ****ing blue.

 

[RoosTah]

You would think red would be more popular since it (to me) is a more intimidating as well as a more stimulating color. I would think that players in red uniforms would perform more aggressively, while those in blue would be a bit more relaxed since blue is a soothing color.


das

You're right and there are even studies on that showing teams in red do better. Something about it being passion inducing. Interestingly they say red does better against all colours, but is nullified by black. Teams that wear black have a tendency to invoke fear in a way that nothing else does.

 

[Draggs]

This is applicable elsewhere. Look at the Six Nations... France, Italy, Scotland.

 

[RoosTah]

This is applicable elsewhere. Look at the Six Nations... France, Italy, Scotland.

True, but those are national colours (although I have never understood why the Italians wear blue), so it's not quite the same asSuper rugby in its lack of logic.

 

[LittleGuy]

True, but those are national colours (although I have never understood why the Italians wear blue), so it's not quite the same asSuper rugby in its lack of logic.

It was the colour of the House of Savoy, the sports teams stuck with it even after the removal of the monarchy.

 

[dasNdanger]

You're right and there are even studies on that showing teams in red do better. Something about it being passion inducing. Interestingly they say red does better against all colours, but is nullified by black. Teams that wear black have a tendency to invoke fear in a way that nothing else does.

That explains the All Blacks then.

Now...explain this...

Most blue colors are soothing, but there is one that is very (in my opinion) stimulating. It's like the blue in the lower left corner of your signature picture - I think it's referred to as electric blue. Any teams use a color just like that? (My memory is a little faulty right now - it's after midnight here.)

What makes me think of this color is that my husband and I had a display booth for his business at an expo thing a few months back. We gave away free carabiners in three different colors - bright red, bright green (like the Christmas colors), and electric blue. I figured the red ones would be the first to go, but I was wrong - the blue first, then green, then red. I found it rather interesting that - by far - people preferred the electric blue over the other colors.

EDIT: Heh. I just realized that the forum is...ya know...blue. Must be why I keep coming back here like a magpie to a shiny mirror.

das

 

[RoosTah]

That explains the All Blacks then.

Now...explain this...

Most blue colors are soothing, but there is one that is very (in my opinion) stimulating. It's like the blue in the lower left corner of your signature picture - I think it's referred to as electric blue. Any teams use a color just like that? (My memory is a little faulty right now - it's after midnight here.)

What makes me think of this color is that my husband and I had a display booth for his business at an expo thing a few months back. We gave away free carabiners in three different colors - bright red, bright green (like the Christmas colors), and electric blue. I figured the red ones would be the first to go, but I was wrong - the blue first, then green, then red. I found it rather interesting that - by far - people preferred the electric blue over the other colors.

EDIT: Heh. I just realized that the forum is...ya know...blue. Must be why I keep coming back here like a magpie to a shiny mirror.

das

That is quite interesting. I actually think that the force were going for that sort of electric blue to be honest, but other than that I don't know of any teams with that sort of colour.

 

[Draggs]

Blue is a neutral colour. Red is aggressive and not comfortable to look at. Most forums use a shade of blue. Allows black and white to be easily displayed.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I'd love for the Stormers to go back to black.

From wikipedia;

The very first (Western) Stormers jersey and logo in 1998 combined the colours of the three Unions who made up the regional franchise – WP, SWD and Boland. There were a myriad of colours in the jersey – blue, white, red, green, gold – and a triangular logo with a wave affect inside. Some liked the look, most did not. One newspaper scribe wrote: "It looks like scrambled eggs with a box of Smarties thrown in!"
In 1999 came a dramatic change from the "loud" look to a simple black jumper and shorts, with black and white "Barbarian" socks, bold numbering and the now familiar lighting bolt logo on the breast. The move to black was done with the express purpose of appealing to a much wider audience. Black became one of the core attributes of the Stormers brand.
2007, however, saw a move away from black to navy blue as the Stormers and WP brands converged.
In 2011, white bars across the front of the navy blue jersey was introduced in order to bring it further in line with the WP brand
in 2013 the colour was changed from blue to royal blue, the original colour of W.P Rugby, however when the jersey when is held in low light shows two different shades of blue, this jersey will only be on sale for one year due to a possible change in sponsorship in 2014.

I get why they want for the Stormers to have essentially an alternate WP look especially since it's the same team but TBH I don't think the fanbase needs for both to be so similar; we are generally quite knowledgable and aren't called 'the WP/Stormers faithful' for nothing. Going black would also acknolegde the 'poor cousin' Boland who also forms part of the franchize (and is actually my 1st team though we don't play rugby in SR or even CC premier division and our admin is a bit of a political joke).

I first saw the domination of blue in SR playing fantasy rugby where almost my entire team tends to be different blue jerseys and ywith all the blue jerseys with one yellow and two red jerseys makes it pretty hard to miss the fact.

 

[Jaguares]

Force is not Blue! Is LIGHT blue

I would like to see more striped jerseys in Super Rugby, the more traditional design in the Rugby Union history.