England play their home games in strip comprising white shirts, the side's most famous moment to date was when Martin Johnson hoisted the World Cup over his head in 2003 in Sydney, Australia. There are many well known names who have pulled on the white shirt of England, just a few are; Jason Leonard, Roger Uttley,Peter Winterbottom, Jason Robinson, Matt Dawson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Neil Back, Jeremy Guscott, Mike Catt, Josh Lewsey, Mark Cueto and of course Jonny Wilkinson and Martin Johnson.
error message from ebay is:The Rugby Football Union (RFU) was formed in 1871 to set rules and introduce referees to the game in England, around this time England's best players played against Scotland's best players at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh. The foundations of today's international's however, was the creation of the International Rugby Board (IRB) in 1886, the first members were Ireland, Scotland and Wales England joining in 1890. England play their home games at; Twickenham Stadium, Rugby Road, Twickenham, Middlesex.
England have been in the top rank of international rugby consistently since the Welsh heydays of the 70's and are still the side all nations love to beat. Following the RWC win in Sydney 2003 they fell to their lowest point but with many young talented players they are on their way back to the top.
1871England played their first official test match in 1871, donning white jerseys with the famous red rose as they lost to Scotland by one try. The origins of this colourway are hazy, although the most obvious suggestion is that it simply mirrors the sports uniforms worn by the pupils at Rugby School, the institution where William Webb Ellis famously picked up the ball during a football match and ran with it, creating Rugby in the process. England quickly became a powerhouse in British Rugby, dominating the early years of the Home Nations Championship (which eventually became the Six Nations we know today), although a fall-out at the turn of the century which led to the creation of Rugby League temporarily weakened the game in England to some degree. | 1920'sThe English uniform underwent its first significant development in the 1920s when the positioning and style of the red rose was standardized. While previously the rose had been hand-sewn on the jersey haphazardly and often differed in style and appearance from year to year a traditional design was now employed, which would be in use for much of the next 70 years. England completed four Grand Slams in the 1920s in what was essentially the Five Nations, with France having been introduced to the Home Nations Championship. During this decade one of their most famous matches was actually a loss at the hands of the All Blacks. The all-conquering New Zealand side would go on to be known as the Invincibles, and the two sides met in front of 60,000 people at Twickenham. | ||
1991Coached by Geoff Cook England went undefeated in the 1991 Five Nations, wrapping up the title with a 21-19 over fierce rivals France. Later that year England co-hosted the second Rugby World Cup, donning jerseys by Cotton Traders which featured new blue collars and blue and red stripes on the sleeves. After losing the opening game of the tournament to reigning champions New Zealand England bounced back to qualify for the Quarter Finals, where they enjoyed a famous victory over France in Paris. They edged Scotland 9-6 in the Semi-Final, setting up a date with the Wallabies in the final at Twickenham. In a tense encounter the Australians prevailed 12-6, ensuring the William Webb Ellis trophy stayed in the Southern Hemisphere for another four years. | 1993Cotton Traders produced a fresh looking jersey for the 1993 season, with blue and red stripes running the length of the sleeves. The Five Nations competition was a tightly-contested affair that year, with all-but Wales laying claim to the title. England snuck home against France, 16-15 at Twickenham in the opening match of their campaign before tripping up in Cardiff to lose 10-9 to eventual woodenspooners Wales. A resounding win over an accomplished Scotland side followed, with the 26-12 victory keeping England in contention. However, the French comfortably beat the Welsh the following week to wrap up the title, and England, with nothing to play for, slumped to a heavy 17-3 defeat to the Irish at Lansdowne Road. | ||
1995England headed to the third Rugby World Cup, this time in South Africa, sporting new shirts from Cotton Traders. These jerseys, which also came in short sleeved versions, featured a thick red and blue stripe around each arm, and boasted the IRB logo on the right chest. Brimming with confidence after sweeping through the Five Nations undefeated to claim another Grand Slam England progressed through a group consisting of Italy, Argentina and Western Samoa without dropping a game, before dispatching the Australians in a nail-biting Quarter Final. In the Semi-final the England side was subjected to one of the most scintillating displays of rugby the world had ever seen, as the All Blacks ran riot over them. Although late tries to the English narrowed the score to 44-29 the unstoppable force that was Jonah Lomu and the unparalleled skills of players like loose-forward Zinzan Brooke inflicted a comprehensive beating on the Five Nations champions. | 1996/97The '96-97 seasons were the last in which Cotton Traders would supply the English team with their kit, and also welcomed in a major sponsor on the front of their jerseys, with 'cellnet' splashed front and centre on the torso. In 1996 the Jack Rowell-coached side successfully defended the Five Nations crown it had claimed the year before, despite losing their opening match 15-12 in Paris. In 1997 the visionary figure of Clive Woodward took over the reigns of the side, and set in motion the processes which would eventually result in World Cup glory in 2003. His stint at the helm got off to a great start with comprehensive victories over both Ireland and Scotland which saw his side scoring 40+ points on each occasion. However, they stumbled against the French in their third match, allowing their arch rivals to complete the Grand Slam and snare the Five Nations title. | ||
1998Nike took over the production of the English jerseys for the '97-98 season, with the most significant change being the absence of any blue on the jerseys, with the red and white design alluding to obvious connections with the Cross of St George. England started their Five Nations campaign in 1998 with a crucial game against reigning champions France in Paris, and despite 12 points from the boot of Paul Grayson were defeated 24-17. Clive Woodward's men struck back with a 60-26 thrashing of Wales followed by a comfortable win at Murrayfield. This left them in contention in the final round, and they did all they could with a 35-17 win over Ireland, but the French would not be denied their second consecutive Grand Slam, thumping a hapless Welsh side 51-0 in Cardiff. | 1999Nike returned to England rugby's traditional roots when it designed the strip for the 1999 season, which would see the World Cup hosted primarily by Wales. The simple yet stylish shirt was essentially all-white, with very subtle red highlights. England frustratingly finished runners-up in the Five Nations for the third consecutive year, with Wales' famous defeat over the English at Wembley in the dying moments of the competition's last game gifting the title to Scotland. Despite losing in pool play to the All Blacks in the World Cup later that year England qualified for the knock-out phase of the tournament, but were promptly knocked out by South Africa, 44-21 in Paris. | ||
2001/02England's kit for 2001/02 was the last to feature traditional button-collars and long sleeves, and was also the last time Cellnet, or BTcellnet as it had become known, was seen as the primary sponsor on the front of the shirts. Competing in the recently expanded Six Nations competition Clive Woodward's side continued it's development ahead of the 2003 World Cup in Australia by securing another title, with a loss to Ireland in their last match the only blight on their record in the 2001 campaign. The following year they began with resounding wins over Scotland and Ireland before being edged in the all-important clash with the French 20-15 in Paris. They bounced back with 40+ point wins over Italy and Wales but a second place finish was the best they could muster as the French secured the Grand Slam. | 2003 WinnersMajor changes and innovations were introduced to the England kit ahead of the 2003 season, most notably with the use of Nike's dri-FIT material and the figure-hugging style of the shirts, which sported major sponsor O2's logo on the front. Undefeated on their way to yet another Grand Slam title in the Six Nations England successfully negotiated their pool at the World Cup in Australia later in the year, repelling stern challenges from South Africa and Samoa in the process. A Welsh side which had looked promising in the Group phase was comfortably accounted for in the Quarters, while France were brushed aside 24-7 in the Semi. In the final Woodward's side faced the home-side, and eventually prevailed in extra time thanks to a famous dropped-goal from fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, securing the Northern Hemisphere their first World Cup crown. | ||
2008/09The Nike manufactured kit which England donned for the 2008/09 season was one of the most flamboyant the side has ever sported, with bold red lines wrapping around the torso of the shirt and continuing on to the shorts. In 2008 the Brian Ashton-coached side started poorly in the Six Nations with a home defeat to the Welsh, but managed to scrape in to a second-place finish despite also losing to Scotland along the way. They were similarly inconsistent the following season, losing to Wales and eventual winners Ireland but beating France, Scotland and Italy to again finish in second spot. | 2011England spent the 2011 season playing in a classy, stark-white strip in a busy year of international rugby which featured the World Cup in New Zealand. Coached by World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson the English claimed the Six Nations title, losing only once, to the Irish in their final match. Amidst controversy and scandal involving alcohol-fueled incidents the English were unconvincing in Pool play at the World Cup, just barely beating both Argentina and Scotland on their way to a Quarter-final clash with France. It was to be one of the poorest performances by an English side at the world's premier tournament, as a fired-up French side comprehensively outplayed them in all aspects of the game, winning 19-12 and going on to contest the final against eventual winners New Zealand. | ||
2012England welcomed in a new era in more ways than one in 2012, with CCC taking over the production of their kits, and their young side finally starting to display some of their immense talent and potential. CCC unveiled a relatively conservative kit, which returned to the use of dark blue socks and employed blue and red for the emblems and sponsor's logos. England were competitive in the Six Nations, winning all but their clash against Wales, who would go on to win the tournament. At the end of the year they lost to South Africa and Australia when the Southern Hemisphere sides headed North, then turned on one of the most stunning displays in recent rugby history to blow the world champion All Blacks off the pitch at Twickenham, giving a clear signal to the rest of their competition that they were now a true force to be reckoned with, and will be one of the strongest candidates for the World Cup when they host the tournament in 2015. |