British and Irish Lions kit: Why rugby union test team wears red jerseys

In the 1930 tour of New Zealand, the blue jersey design generated significant controversy. Firstly, it caused a kit clash with the All Blacks, who were forced to find an alternative, leading them to wear white for the first time in their history.

Meanwhile, Irish lock George Beamish questioned the lack of green on the kit, leading to the addition of a green turnover on the socks. The blue jersey remained until the last tour before World War Two, in South Africa in 1938.

After the end of the conflict, the Lions scheduled a return to New Zealand in 1950, and the blue jersey was dropped in favour of red in order to avoid the same kit clash which led to the dispute in 1930.

From there, the red jersey has stuck and remained unchanged aside from minor branding additions.

Kit supplier logos began appearing on Lions kits in 1993, when Nike manufactured the team’s apparel, while the first front-of-shirt sponsor was Scottish Provident in 1997.