South African rugby fans have literally seen red after the Springboks unveiled a new jersey for their Rugby Championship clash against Argentina.
The bold red jersey was commissioned to mark the 25th anniversary of rugby unity in South Africa, and will be worn in the Springboks' second Rugby Championship game against Argentina in Salta on the 26th of August.
The red Springbok jersey completes a "jigsaw puzzle" of playing and training apparel, the Springboks argued in a press release. The colours of the South African flag - green, yellow, blue and red, as well as black and white - have all featured in training or playing apparel this year.
"We wanted to mark the 25th anniversary of rugby in South Africa in a striking and memorable way and came up with this bold alternate strip," said CEO Jurie Roux.
"We chose the colours of the flag as a uniting symbol and believed that red made the boldest statement as a tribute to the achievement of rugby unity, which was completed before democracy arrived in South Africa."
Roux said that red also provided the strongest contrast to the Springboks' Rugby Championship rivals.
However, the reaction to the new jersey has been mixed on social media.
One person likened the red jersey to the All Blacks wearing yellow, while someone who claims to never complain, immediately complained about the jersey.
Another person, who will probably still watch the game, said he would refuse to watch the game.
That's not to say the feedback was all negative though. One fan astutely noted that 'the depressing nonsense' of the Springboks' last few seasons means that there's little wrong with a jersey change.
The Springboks kick off their Rugby Championship campaign with two games against Argentina, before an away game against Australia.
Their first clash with the All Blacks comes on the 16th of September in Albany.