Ireland Women's Rugby is abandoning the traditional white shorts in an effort to address players' period concerns ahead of Six Nations. The new standard kit includes navy shorts.
Ireland is the first Six Nations country to permanently make the switch.
The decision was made in response to player feedback that wearing white shorts can create anxiety around periods.
Ireland centre Enya Breen lauded the move: "The top way to ensure we perform to our best on the field is by removing any unnecessary distractions. Wearing navy shorts instead of white is such a small thing, but for us it's a big step from Canterbury and the IRFU."
"This will remove the stress of worrying about being on your period while you're playing in a match. Our hope is that it will help women at all levels of rugby feel more comfortable on the field, so they can get on with performing at their best in the game that they love."
The move comes on the heels of other women's sport teams, including West Brom football, leaving white shorts behind. Wimbledon also changed its long-held all-white dress code last November and allowed female players to wear dark underwear.
Kit supplier Canterbury, who are involved in other initiatives to support women in rugby including the Give It A Try program, are also offering a free pair of shorts in any other colour to anyone who has purchased the official white shorts from them in the past three years.
Ireland Women's highly anticipated Six Nations campaign opens on March 25th in Wales.
