England's players will be wearing old-fashioned shirts in Saturday's Six Nations opener against Wales as part of the celebrations marking 100 years of international rugby at Twickenham.
But fans are hoping the players will be looking forward rather than back.
Team manager Martin Johnson has made arguably the boldest selection of his 20 months in charge for Saturday's match and fans are desperate to see some entertaining play after three grim November performances.
Johnson's plans have been hit by the late withdrawal of inside center Riki Flutey because of injury, so Toby Flood gets the chance to prove he can be integral to England's new style despite being initially overlooked.
Flood had been a contender to start at No. 10 but Johnson preferred to stick with all-time leading scorer Jonny Wilkinson at flyhalf.
"It is a blow because we picked Riki to play but the good thing for us is that Toby can play test rugby in two positions," Johnson said.
"He has played a lot of test rugby at 12. He played in a World Cup final. He is an experienced test player now.
"Of course you don't want to lose a guy on a Thursday when you have picked him, but it happens in rugby and we don't miss a beat."
Flood's playmaking and kicking abilities are known, but his defensive game, and that of midfield partner Mathew Tait, is likely to be tested by Wales center Jamie Roberts.
Flutey joins Tom Croft and props Andrew Sheridan and Phil Vickery on the sidelines, although England's injury problems are still far less severe than during the November matches.
Wales received a boost with news that fullback Lee Byrne's two-week ban for illegally entering the field was overturned this week, but the visitors are also dealing with injuries.
British and Irish Lions hooker Matthew Rees and prop Gethin Jenkins are unavailable, although tighthead Adam Jones is back.
"England have picked a big old pack, so we know it is going to be tough," Jones said.
"If you underestimate any opponent, then you are going to struggle." England has lost three of its last four matches to Wales, so knows it is in for a tough match.
"We are still going to have to scrummage whether Gethin Jenkins is playing or not," Johnson said.
"It is about the guys who are playing, not about the guys who aren't playing. It always is."
