Chris Ashton discovered his England recall by WhatsApp and reveals early club vs country conflict over his position
Eddie Jones is determined to use Ashton on the wing but he admits that he will be playing at full-back after joining Sale Sharks
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Your support makes all the difference.It all started with a WhatsApp message, and just like that, Chris Ashton’s England exile was over.
Having not played for England since 2014 and ruling himself out of selection by moving to Toulon last year, the 31-year is back in the Premiership, back in the reckoning with England head coach Eddie Jones and back, he hopes, in the team that will attempt to win the Rugby World Cup next year.
It has been a whirlwind 12 months for the Wigan native, whose move to Sale Sharks – two years before his Toulon contract was due to expire – is very much a homecoming for him and his family. The rugby league convert has cited family problems for the reasons behind his move back home, but behind that the chance to resurrect his England career was not far behind.
That dream looks very much alive after spending the weekend with Jones’ pre-season training camp in south-west London, but somewhat surprisingly the first time that Ashton discovered he was back in the mix came on the same day that the squad announcement was made, with the Rugby Football Union’s communications team adding him to the players’ WhatsApp group.
“I didn’t actually speak to him [Jones],” said Ashton. “I got included in the August camp group chat – I think that was enough for me.
“I think group timings and a schedule came up, so I haven’t written a message. I just follow instructions.”
The process of Ashton’s return actually started last May, when he scored three tries for the Barbarians against England at Twickenham to provide a timely reminder about what he can offer the national team – and more importantly what they are missing with him in France. Before that match, Ashton bumped into Jones deep in the confines of Twickenham Stadium. A conversation took place in which Jones has since admitted that he saw a “glint in the eye” of the exiled wing, and although he had no intention of doing so, Ashton had sent a message.
“At that point in time it was just pie in the sky, I was just hoping to play well against England for the Barbarians,” Ashton said. “I did see it as a good opportunity to… not send a message but play well to say I am still hanging around, I’d had a good year at Toulon, full of confidence from it.
“We spoke a bit after it as well. I wanted the game to go as it did so if there was an opportunity to brush shoulders with Eddie in the corridor I was going to take it. Not knowing the outcome of the game so it was irrelevant at the time… it could be looked at as if it was a point, but it wasn’t, I think the game just suited it me and I was able to play it how I wanted to.”
From there the wheels were in motion to secure his return to the Premiership. Despite having two years left of a lucrative three-year deal with Toulon, Ashton managed to secure his release from the club and structure a move back to the north – a homecoming of sorts with his new club fewer than 20 miles away from Wigan. But with a long-term contract in place, Toulon were under no means to let Ashton leave, yet after talks with club owner Mourad Boudjellal about his family’s struggles with being away from home, he reluctantly granted Ashton his request.
“With all the success I was fortunate enough to have at Saracens, I just felt with England and with the time in my career to go and do something different. The timing just fell into place for me and it felt right at the time,” added Ashton, having broken the Top 14 try-scoring record last season with 24 tries in 23 matches.
“I had no idea it was going to go the way it did. You always hope for that and without winning a trophy it went as well as it could have done and it filled me the confidence again of being able to play rugby and enjoy it again. That want to come back and to be part of England again, I thought initially I would go out there and spend five or six years in Toulon playing rugby but as the year went on the more I realised I didn't want the opportunity of giving myself a chance of being involved with England and a World Cup around the corner to go amiss.
“[Boudjellal] would have rather I stayed but the club and Mourad were good for me, I had two years left and he didn’t have to allow me to come back so I’m grateful he was understanding of the situation and allowed me to return home.”
But where one conflict has finished, another may just be starting. Jones announced last week that, despite starring at full-back for Toulon last season, Ashton’s best position remains on the wing. But with fellow England international wings Denny Solomona and Marland Yarde already on the books at Sale, he looks destined to fill the No 15 shirt at the AJ Bell Stadium.
He explained: “I have heard Eddie said that. I will more than likely fit in at full-back at Sale. I honestly don't mind. I enjoyed my time at full-back at Toulon, it gave me more opportunities but I played full-back like a winger. Many occasions I swapped positions and stood on the wing. I didn't necessarily use it as a full full-back position.
“There are some outstanding backs up there [at Sale] and from the few weeks I have had in there, I have really enjoyed being at a club where everyone has the same drive to move forward and improve. It is still really new to me and some things are really unfamiliar so I am enjoying it for what it is.”
As Ashton admits himself though, this call-up is “a small step in the right direction” – even if it did put his homecoming plans out of joint. “I was going to move house on Saturday. Thankfully I moved it to Friday so I could get here! I had no idea it was coming. I am grateful of the opportunity to come back into this environment.”
The future is simple for Ashton. Sale kick-off their Premiership campaign at Harlequins on 1 September, where Ashton will need to prove to Jones why he deserves a place in his squad for the autumn internationals. With England’s wing reserves already stacked with the likes of Jonny May, Jack Nowell, Elliot Daly and Mike Brown, it won’t be easy, but with 19 international tries already under his belt in 39 caps, it would be no surprise to see him in the red rose once again.
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