Canterbury Reveals New England Sevens Shirt

Canterbury and the Rugby Football Union unveiled the new England Sevens home and alternate shirts at Twickenham stadium on Thursday. The vibrant alternate and the more classic home shirt are expected to spark debate among fans to support Team Home or Team Away.

Launched by members of the England Men's and Women's teams, the shirts will be worn for the first time at the Marriott London Sevens, the last tournament of the 2012-13 IRB HSBC Sevens World Series taking place at Twickenham in May.

Both shirts have been created with the English rose at the heart of the design using a pixelated image of the iconic rugby emblem to represent the DNA of the rose. The home shirt has a more classic look to suit fans that are keen to get their hands on a traditional shirt. Using the established all-white style, the red and green colour of the rose is emblazoned on the front of the shirt in triangular design. The alternate shirt offers fans a livelier look to match the entertaining atmosphere at the sevens. Positioned in triangular shapes, the colours of the rose blend together to demonstrate the fluidity and speed involved in the game.

To mark the unveiling of the new shirts, and to recognise the very different design styles, Canterbury has launched its 'Home or Away' campaign, which asks fans to pledge their allegiance to the home or alternate shirt by voting on the site or tweeting their preference with #HomeorAway to @canterburyNZ.

Canterbury will also be unleashing seven 'Home or Away' taxis, which will be wrapped in the design of the shirts on the capital. Rugby fans are challenged to spot the taxis, take a photo and send to Canterbury via Twitter or Instagram tagged with #HomeorAway or email to homeoraway@canterbury.com. All photos received will automatically win a prize, from money off vouchers to a new England Sevens shirt to tickets to the Marriott London Sevens.

Chris Stephenson, Canterbury CEO said: "Sevens is becoming one of the fastest growing sports, and has appeal to a wide audience. With this in mind, we have crafted two very special shirts, representing a home and alternate proposition. The Marriott London Sevens is only a month away, which I'm sure will exceed the record breaking crowds of last year. We are keen to get the fans ready for the event, indulge in the atmosphere and decorate the whole of Twickenham in either Team Home or Team Away."

Sophie Goldschmidt, Chief Commercial Officer, RFU commented: "It's fantastic that Canterbury is launching a campaign to generate excitement and debate amongst fans for the new England Sevens kit. As we get closer to the Marriott London Sevens at Twickenham in May, we hope the country will get behind the team and vote for Team Home or Team Away."

The final tournament of the IRB HSBC Sevens World Series is the ninth tournament of the series that has already been hosted in Australia, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, New Zealand, the United States, Hong Kong and Japan. The Glasgow Sevens will take place on 5th and 6th May but the shirt will not be seen on the pitch until the Marriot London Sevens on 11th and 12th May.

The home and alternate shirts will be available in the ever-popular 'Pro' replica jerseys and the team version, available for pre-order on 11th April and go on general sale on the 25th April, retailing at £55 on http://www.canterbury.com/england-c57

About Canterbury

Canterbury has more than 100 years of history in rugby and has previously provided playing shirts to the New Zealand All Blacks, Australia, and Ireland. It is currently team kit supplier to England Rugby and South Africa as well as reigning Heineken Cup champions Leinster and Leicester Tigers. Canterbury has been a keen supporter of grassroots and development level rugby for many years and currently supplies playing apparel to hundreds of school and club sides through the UK. The company's global HQ is based in Stockport, England.

About the Rugby Football Union (RFU)

The Rugby Football Union is the National Governing Body for rugby union in England and supports participants and fans from the grassroots to the national team. You can keep up to date with all RFU news on @Official_RFU