PR exclusive: Chris Ashton
Planet Rugby catches up with Chris Ashton to get his thoughts on the England camp and upcoming Le Crunch at Twickenham!
Most good rugby judges would agree that England's brand of rugby has improved immeasurably over the last 12 months.
One of the brightest stars in that transformation is Northampton Saint and former Wigan Rugby league man, Chris Ashton. Planet Rugby caught up with the in-form winger to get his thoughts on the England camp and the upcoming Le Crunch at Twickenham.
With nine tries in nine games, Ashton is drawing comparisons with Jason Robinson as one of England's better league imports. The Northampton man has been in scintillating form, bagging four tries in England's decimation of the Italians a fortnight ago.
What's his view on the current set up and why is the backline suddenly clicking after years of stuttering and spluttering?
“You have to understand it's all very new to me and new to a good chunk of the team,” Ashton explained. “We're fortunate that we've no baggage from previous regimes and we can mould the game in the way we want to play. The management are good about that and encourage it.
“That means we've nothing to fear and that excites us.
“There's a great mix of youth, and then you have experienced campaigners like Cueto and Tindall.
“We all get on really well, both as players and as mates, and that really helps us.”
The relationships in the team, certainly to the watcher, manifest themselves in a sense of fun and enjoyment. But underneath that, there appears to be a lot of self-coaching and decision making at player level.
“Look, it's brilliant to have people like Cueto and Tins (Mike Tindall) around. They've been there many times before and help me immeasurably in terms of positional play and defence,” said Ashton.
“But I'm not hiding and if I've something to say, I'll say it. It cuts both ways and we are all humble enough to learn off each other.
“It's a cliché to say there's still things to work on, but there are and that's a fact! What we do have is continuity, both of game plan and selection, and that's the crucial thing that I think is going right.
“We're getting to know each other almost like a club side now and that's great. By saying that, I'd like a little more time to work on defence, fielding box kicks and the like, but that'll come and every moment spent together is a moment well spent.”
One thing that doesn't seem to need much work is Ashton's predatory instincts. In fact that word, predator, seems to have feature heavily in recent times in describing the England winger.
“Well, I'm getting a bit of stick on that one already within the team,” he grinned.
“But I have a fundamental desire to score. It's like an addiction, a drug addiction, and I'm desperate for my fix!
“In my mind, I'll do everything and anything to get over the line.
“However tired I am I'll pick myself up off the floor and do my best to get on the ball at pace. I want to be there supporting, and best of all, with the pace Toby Flood and Ben Youngs are providing, I know there will be plenty of chances to get on the end of a pass or two.
“In my mind anything is possible, and I won't give up trying to be there, trying to finish that move off.”
With France looming large on the horizon, England will need to step up a gear in order to beat a very impressive French side. With home advantage, England have every chance in turning over Les Bleus and Ashton is relishing a match up against another form winger, Maxime Medard.
“Medard has really impressed me. He's a typical French winger who can conjure something from nothing in an instant,” he said.
“I'm surprised it's taken him so long to nail down a spot. He's got pace and power in abundance and I'm looking forward to a real tussle with him, but hopefully I'll come out on top and so will England.
“I'm looking forward to it.”
By James While