New look for England
England officials have given fans a glimpse of what it looks on the inner sanctum of the national team's pre-match build-up.
A series of images of the refurbished England dressing room were released.
The new dressing room is a significant part of the stadium redevelopment programme currently underway to ensure that Twickenham Stadium's facilities are world-leading for the Rugby World Cup 2015 and beyond.
Work undertaken over the past four months includes:
* Refurbishment and upgrade of all player changing facilities
* Improved warm up, coaching, analyst and tunnel facilities
* Distinctive look and feel focusing on the history and core values of the game
* New hydrotherapy facilities
* Upgrade of medical suite
England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster had considerable input into the new design. Speaking about the changing room upgrade, he said: "We have been looking at ways to strengthen the squad's identity and commitment both to each other and our supporters – the redevelopment of the changing room has an incredibly important role to play in this.
"As well as the obvious design changes to improve the warm up, coaching and analyst areas, we decided on a whole new look and feel for the space with an emphasis on celebrating the heritage of England Rugby.
"For example, a wall of honour featuring the names of every player to be capped for England and then on the pegs in the players' cubicles, there is a plaque with their name on top of a list of notable players in their position from the previous decades.
"We did this because we want the players to realise why they are playing and to recognise those who have gone before them. This will help them to get that feel of camaraderie and honour of playing for England when they are pulling on the white shirt with the red rose.
"We believe this will make the players connect more with the shirt and realise they are not just playing a game of rugby, but that they are part of something special. I think that brings you closer together as a group which is invaluable in any team sport."
