English Rugby
England to bin change kit policy?
ESPN Staff
December 5, 2012
England's Toby Flood stretches the Australia defence, England v Australia, Twickenham, England, November 17, 2012
England's purple strip, which they wore against Australia, proved to be an unpopular choice © PA Photos
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Players/Officials: Ian Ritchie
Teams: England

The Rugby Football Union's CEO Ian Ritchie will review England's tendency to sport a change strip for a match during the autumn Test series.

The RFU and England came in for heavy criticism for the change purple strip which they wore against Australia instead of their traditional white shirts. Countries traditionally swap to an alternative shirt when there is a clash in the colour of the two teams' shirts. Fiji are the only other Test playing side who wear an all-white kit, but when England came face-to-face with the Islanders earlier in November, it was Fiji who changed to their 'away' kit.

And Ritchie admits that he is open-minded when it comes to changing the RFU's approach of England traditionally wearing the change strip for one match during the autumn Tests - a decision widely perceived to be due to commercial opportunities.

"You always look at it," Ritchie told The Times. "I'm quite happy to say one was surprised in some way by the strength of feeling and [that] it was correlated, if I could put it that way, to the performance [England lost 20-14 to Australia].

"I don't remember reading huge criticism for the last five years about a change of shirt. But the substance of your point is a fair one. All of us look at these things and review it. How do we deal with the atmosphere? Of course we look at all those things and it's right to do that."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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