The RFU unveiled the new England Sevens away stripe this week, as squad stalwart Chris Cracknell and women’s captain Michaela Staniford donned the new jerseys at a Twickenham photo shoot.

The new shirt will replace the previous the tequila sunrise strip that had become a bit of a crowd pleaser and was first seen back in 2010 and a shirt that England won the Dubai event on a number of occasions in.

The new stripe is designed to link the present with the past as the main colour is purple, which was synonymous with England rugby times through the amateur era. On top of this, bright yellow block can be seen on the arms and chest to give the jersey that classy touch…

The aim of the shirt is to fit in with the London 7s fancy dress theme of the 70’s and will be worn at the Glasgow and London legs of the series.

Chris Cracknell commented, “The London Sevens is the event that the boys really look forward to as the atmosphere and home support is always amazing.  The new kit is equally as crazy as the last design and I’m sure will be just as popular with the fans.  I’m looking forward to seeing it around the stadium when we run out in a few weeks.”Whilst he may have said that, it seems that such an answer was a bit scripted and his actually views on the shirt differ somewhat.

One can’t help but feel sorry for the players that have to wear this, and here’s hoping it doesn’t stick around for too long. Call me a traditionalist, but I like my England kits to be white and red, and took some time to get used to the Tequila sunrise shirt. It appears that the RFU are squeezing as much revenue as possible out of latest rise in sevens rugby.

Let us know your views on the shirt by commenting below, or on twitter with #inattheside.