Chris Ashton joins Sale Sharks as Toulon agree contract release to reignite 2019 Rugby World Cup hopes with England

Former Saracens wing returns with his family to the north in a bid to force his way into Eddie Jones’ England squad ahead of next year’s World Cup in Japan

Chris Ashton has joined Sale Sharks after being released from his Toulon contract (Getty)

Sale Sharks have signed Chris Ashton after he was released from his Toulon contract two years earlier than planned, freeing up the exiled former England wing to reignite his 2019 Rugby World Cup hopes.

The 31-year-old will return to the Premiership after one record-breaking year in France in which he broke the Top 14 record with 24 tries, and after previous spells with Northampton Saints and Saracens, the rugby league convert will return to the north of England with Steve Diamond’s Sale side.

“This really feels like ‘going home’,” Ashton said after being unveiled as the club’s newest addition. “I’ve always thought, in the back of my mind, that I’d return to the North to play rugby and I’m delighted to be joining Sale Sharks.

“They have developed an increasingly strong squad, including Jono Ross, whom I remember in his younger days at Saracens. He left and has become a considerably more mature player!

“In Toulon, I’ve added to the experience I gained at Saracens. There are many players at Sale Sharks with whom I’m looking forward to playing.

“I’m not coming to rest on my laurels: I feel I’ve got a lot of rugby left in me and would like to make an impact and help to take the club to their winning ways of 2006.”

Ashton appeared to close the door on his international career when he left Saracens last summer to join Toulon in a three-year deal worth around £700,000-a-year, meaning that he could not be selected by Eddie Jones for the England squad under the Rugby Football Union’s selection policy to only choose Premiership-based players.

But after returning to Twickenham in May with three tries for the Barbarians against England, Ashton has had a change of heart. The wing-turned-full-back returned to the south of France to hold talks with Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal, during which he expressed his family’s inability to settle down in the country and their desire to move back to England – along with the return of his World Cup aspirations.

The Top 14 club reacted by signing All Blacks wing Julian Savea for next season, with a statement on Tuesday night confirming Ashton’s departure.

“At the request of the player, Rugby Club Toulonnais decided to release Chris Ashton from his two years of remaining contract,” a club statement read.

“The English player was no longer in a psychological condition to play in France, and therefore with the Toulon, because of important family problems.

“RCT wishes Chris Ashton good luck in pursuing his sporting career.”

Ashton scored a record 24 tries in the Top 14 last season (Getty)

Ashton arrives to an already impressive back line that features fellow England wings Denny Solomona and Marland Yarde, although the three could be slotted into the same side if Ashton were to be deployed at full-back as he was at Toulon. With Ausralia international James O’Connor, powerful centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg and half-back pairing Faf de Klerk and AJ McGinty all on the books at the AJ Bell Stadium, Sale will boast one of the most potent back lines in the Premiership next season.

“Chris is obviously a world class signing,” said director of rugby Diamond. “When we were looking around, following the announcement of the return of Rohan Janse van Rensburg, we wanted to keep the makeup of our back three as exciting as we can.

He ran three tries past England at Twickenham in May (Getty)

“Chris wanted to return to this country to fulfil his potential with England again, and we thought that he’d fit in well here.

“He’s a multi-talented, superb professional who has experienced the benefit of the successful culture at Saracens.

“We look forward to giving him a warm welcome in a fortnight’s time. He’ll join the exciting players already at the club and if we secure another two or three of our forward targets, we’ll have a squad capable of reaching a top four placing.

Diamond has put together one of the most attacking back lines in the Premiership (Getty)

“We’ll continue to offer our supporters top-level entertainment at the AJ Bell Stadium.”

Ashton will link up with Sale for pre-season in the coming days and will be available for the start of the Premiership season, making him eligible for England’s four-Test autumn international programme in November.