Purple craze: England rugby fans sold on alternative away kit.

(From Guardian Unlimited)

Say what you like about England's form but fashion-wise they are way ahead of the game. The Rugby Football Union has revealed that sales of the team's new purple strip have outstripped all previous records, a tribute to the vision of their kit designers or, depending on your sartorial taste, the collective colour-blindness of Twickenham supporters.

Whatever the truth, a remarkable 41% of replica shirts sold during the autumn internationals were purple as opposed to the traditional white. The normal figure for away shirts is around 15%.

England have worn the new colour only once, turning in a truly dismal display against Argentina …