Chris Ashton gets his touch back – Rugby News Update
Chris Ashton, the 25-year-old Northampton Saints and England winger regained his goal-scoring touch against the Barbarians, having scored a hat-trick in a convincing 57-26 victory.
However, his fans were disappointed by the winger, as he did not celebrate the goal scoring by his trademark Ash Splash, revealing that it was not the most appropriate place for it.
"I had a conversation a while ago with Stuart Lancaster about the dive and we decided right place, right time," Ashton said. "Maybe in a World Cup final but I didn't think today was the right time or the right place."
He had not scored in six Test matches prior to his hat-trick, and this is a good omen for the player, as well as Stuart Lancaster, the head coach of England. The English are preparing for their tour of South Africa, where they play a three-match test series,
along with playing two other mid-week games. He needs all his players firing on all cylinders, as the Springboks will be formidable opponents this summer.
Ashton was happy with his own form, and relieved that he had scored for England before the tour, hoping to carry his exploits into the summer.
“I'm feeling confident again," Ashton said. "The team is a bit more settled and it was pretty much the Six Nations back line out there today. We knew the game would be open, we moved the ball and I thought we looked pretty good doing it."
The winger is a graduate of the Wigan academy and made his debut at the age of 18 for the Warriors. He switched codes in 2007 and moved to the Northampton Saints. In the wake of their promotion to the Premiership, Ashton finished as the top scorer in the
European Challenge Cup. His form in the 2009-2010 campaign earned him England's recognition, as he scored 15 tries in 16 games.
He made his international debut against France at Stade de France, on March 20, 2010, and so far he has represented his country 23 times, starting all of those games.
The winger will be an essential component of the England team this summer, and his return to form is a good omen for the squad.
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