Shirts through the years

As England's rugby union team launch a new kit for the 2007 World Cup, we look at the evolution of the shirt

Wavell Wakefield makes his final appearance for England in Paris in 1927 sporting a long-sleeved number

Little has changed in the 50 years since Wakefield's day as Bill Beaumont's England team of 1981 shows

Will Carling's England side remain in the all-white strip as they win the Five Nations Grand Slam in 1991

Mike Teague displays the first addition of coloured sleeves for the 1991 World Cup in England

Two years later and colour returns to the strip with a bold red stripe added to the sleeves

Carling's England side win the Triple Crown on the way to sealing the Championship in 1996 and the shirt changes again

England's shirt gains a sponsor in for the first time in 1997 as money pours into the game after it turned professional in 1995

The colour scheme changes once more in 1998 with Dean Ryan displaying the new design in the Five Nations

The 1999 World Cup in Wales sees the shirt revert to white as England crash out in the quarter-final to South Africa

Jonny Wilkinson makes the number 10 shirt his own as England finish second to France in the 2002 Six Nations

England wrap up the Grand Slam in 2003 under Clive Woodward but the shirt heads for a significant change

In August 2003 England and Richard Hill reveal a revolution in shirt design as Nike's skin-tight design is launched

England wear the shirts during the World Cup campaign and dramatic final win over Australia in November 2003

Four years later and England's promising 23-year-old winger David Strettle reveals the most colourful design yet

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