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John GriffithsFebruary 23, 2015
When did France wear red jerseys before? JMD, Scotland
The French turned out in red jerseys against Scotland this season for the first time since January 10 1959 - also against Scotland in Paris.
France traditionally played in sky-blue jerseys until the late 1950s, switching to white jerseys and blue shorts when hosting Scotland. Similarly, when France travelled to Edinburgh, it was the Scots who conformed to tradition by changing to white to allow their guests to appear in blue.
The French surprised everyone at Murrayfield in 1958 by changing from sky-blue to a darker shade for the first time. It was such a deep blue that many took it for Scotland's navy. EW "Jim" Swanton, who doubled as the Daily Telegraph's rugby and cricket correspondent, told readers: "What confused the picture was that it was the French who were playing in blue - their royal shade."
France's home game against the touring Wallabies seven weeks later was one of the earliest Paris internationals broadcast live on Eurovision. Australia wore dark green jerseys in those days, so the Tricolores turned to red to ease identification for monochrome viewers. (Colour outside broadcasts were still ten years away in 1958)
The hosts won 19-0 and repeated the experiment for the opening match of the 1959 Five Nations, beating Scotland 9-0 at Stade Colombes on the way to France's first outright Championship title.
John Griffiths is a widely respected rugby historian and is the author of several sports books, a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph and co-author of the IRB International Rugby Yearbook. He has provided insight for Scrum.com since 1999.
