Six Nations: Why Italy are wearing red against France as Les Bleus win ‘intense’ roof debate battle
The Italian team sings the national anthem and an inset of the red jersey they will don against France.
Why Italy will don a red jersey in the Six Nations clash against France on Sunday in Lille as hosts win roof debate.
Both teams traditionally wear blue kits, forcing the visitors to feature in an alternate colour and while that is usually white for the Italians, Gonzalo Quesada’s charges will this weekend run out in red.
Essentially, for the visit to Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Italy will incorrectly be referred to as the Azzurri – the Blues – as the team don a special scarlet shirt commemorating Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Garibaldini.
Why Italy are wearing red against France
The Nice-born general, from a Ligurian family, was an instrumental figure in the unification of Italy in the 19th century, with his loyal volunteers who followed him on campaigns known as “redshirts”.
Sunday’s encounter will see France and Italy battle it out for the annual Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy, another tribute to the general.
The new kits were unveiled at Quarto dei Mille near Genoa, where Garibaldi launched the “Expedition of the Thousand” to Sicily in 1860.
“The shirt features a polo collar with golden detailing, while the inner collar tape is also gold and displays the phrase ‘QUI SI FA L’ITALIA O SI MUORE!’ (Here we make Italy, or we die!), a quote attributed to Garibaldi during the Battle of Calatafimi,” a statement from Macron and Italy Rugby read at the time of its release.
Traditionally, in rugby, the home team would wear their alternative jersey in the case of kit clashes – a tradition that stretches back over 100 years. It comes from historical tours, as it meant that touring teams wouldn’t have to bring an extra set of jerseys with them to avoid a clash.
However, the Six Nations moved away from this tradition in 2024 and aligned with football where the visitors would wear a changed strip in an “effort to attract more casual viewers”. That scrapped a tradition that stretched back over 75 years.
Additionally, World Rugby adopted a policy that Test teams will have to wear ‘light’ or ‘dark’ kits from 2025 to make it easier for spectators who are colour blind.
Colour blindness reportedly affects approximately 300 million people worldwide, including former World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont – with red/green types of colour blindness alone affecting eight per cent of males (0.5 per cent of women).
The Six Nations has largely adopted this optional policy with the visiting team for fixtures like Wales and Ireland and changing kit colours to make it easier for fans.
Six Nations 2026: All the round three team news, broadcasters, kick-off times and referees
Roof debate
Since Wales made the decision that all fixtures at the Principality Stadium will take place with the roof closed, we have not been subjected to the Cardiff roof debate.
However, it has resurfaced with France opting to take the Six Nations clash against Italy to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy this weekend instead of hosting the match at the Stade de France.
The roof will be shut in Lille when the two sides face off following “intense discussions” between the two nations.
With rain and winds predicted for Sunday’s encounter, the debate was sparked as both teams need to agree on whether the roof should be closed or not, according to Six Nations regulations. Italy boss Quesada felt it was “more natural” to play exposed to the elements, while France wanted to be shielded from the elements.
However, the teams came to an agreement on Friday, according to vice-president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR) Jean-Marc Lhermet, and ultimately the roof will indeed be closed.
“The rules aren’t entirely clear,” Lhermet told Le Figaro. “The opinion of both federations involved is indeed necessary to reach an agreement. Italy had preferred the roof to remain open. But the organiser’s opinion can be sought, which we did on Thursday.
“We presented our arguments: a closed roof was preferable for the pre-match entertainment for spectator safety and for the sporting spectacle. Therefore, in the overall interest, it was better to have the roof closed.
“There was a three-way discussion with Italy and the committee throughout Thursday and after several stages, the Italian federation finally gave its agreement, admitting that it was better this way.”
READ MORE: The ‘lesser art’ that is deciding the Six Nations as ‘staggering’ stats silence previous ‘snobbery’