Umbro has revealed a special anniversary shirt to be worn by England in the 2021 Guinness Six Nations match against Scotland.
The 2021 Calcutta Cup match will be played at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday, 6 February at 1645 GMT, 150 years after the two sides met in the first ever international rugby Test match, at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh in 1871.
Activity to mark the anniversary includes:
- The creation of a heritage rose with artwork by renowned artist Chris Wormell taking inspiration from the very first rose featured on the caps of the 1871 team and still features on players’ caps today.
- A social media campaign on 26 January inspired by the World Rugby Museum’s RFU at 150 exhibition, charting the evolution of the game in England over a century and a half. A physical version of the exhibition will be available in the World Rugby Museum at Twickenham Stadium at a later date.
- A commemorative 150th anniversary book celebrating a century and a half of England Rugby. This coffee table-style hardback will be available to purchase from 21 January atz priced £30.
- In partnership with Harkness roses, England Rugby will launch a commemorative rose on 1 February.
- A limited-edition heritage kit, created by official technical kit partner Umbro and England Rugby, that is available from Lovell Rugby.
- Official timing partner, Bremont, are also planning something extremely limited, exciting and fitting to tie into the 150th anniversary celebrations, available 150 years on from that illustrious day when it all started.
LIST | England’s five WORST jerseys of all-time
Feast your gaze on these horrible England eyesores from down the years...
1. Sevens - 2013
Getting a bit more adventurous with this kaleidoscopic cornea burner from the England Sevens team. Thes multi-coloured front seems reminiscent of a dance-floor in a cheesy 70's disco club. Extraordinary.
2. 1980's - Umbro
If this is any indication of what their jerseys will be like moving forward, we could be in trouble after Umbro officially took over from Canterbury, signing a four-year deal with the RFU.
Looks like a toddler’s crayon rampage,
3. England away - 2009
Apparently the choice is a 'regal' shade of purple, fit for a country known for its royalty.
The fact England never won in this shirt means it should never be done again. Oh wait, it was, but a little bit better.
4. Rugby World Cup - 2007
Four years on from their World Cup triumph, Nike completely changed their design and as good as it looked on a model it was not exactly the most attractive on the pitch with splashes of red on the shirt and shorts looking incredibly messy.
However, England were able to reach a second successive World Cup final, but this time narrowly lost out 15-6 to the Springboks at Stade de France.
5. England away -2014
In between World Cup cycles there's a touch more room for creativity and the 2013-14 alternate strip certainly look heed to that view.
The 2013-14 change of jersey caused quite a stir when it was launched, but anyone who bought it was left disappointed as it was only actually worn in competitive matches by the women and U20s during that season.
Its design cues came from the painting of the 'The Battle of the Roses: Yorkshire versus Lancashire' that hangs on the wall of the President's Suite at Twickenham Stadium.
