Unprecedented demand following England’s World Cup victory has seen the Rugby Football Union’s Rugby Store handling sales on a level previously unheard of.

Sales soared with the tournament, particularly from the semi finals. During the final, the shop received only a single call while everyone was glued to their TVs, but by 3pm winners’ T-shirts and memorabilia were available in store and the shop floor was packed with purchasers eager to buy into England’s success.

December brought £1.75m net sales, the level never having exceeded £1m in any other month, with the online percentage accounting for 40% of sales.

Said Jenny Norris, Merchandise Manager, “The sheer volume of business may have led to customer service levels below those we would want. For example, it became increasingly difficult to get through to mail order hotlines and we regret that. Some products inevitably sold out, especially with the extra match in December and this disappointed some customers. However, being a victim of your own success is something of a luxury and we are very grateful to the staff who manned the fort and did their very best to keep everyone happy and to our many customers who have been extremely patient with us.