“We are all thrilled for Ashy, somebody who comes in for some unnecessary criticism,” McCall said. “He had a sensational game and it was clear to see.”
Ashton’s Test figures of 18 tries in 37 matches stack up with some of the best, joint-ninth in the England all-time list. But underlying his exclusion in the recent Six Nations was the sense that he had become a defensive liability as well as a less effective attacker.
These were not accusations that could have been made against him at Twickenham last Saturday, when he joined in the ferocious assault led by Jacques Burger on Clermont’s luminaries with as much gusto and technical accuracy as any.
Well-heeled Saracens occasionally give the impression of revelling in their supposed unpopularity among the rest of the Premiership, though they are slightly lower in the plutocratic pecking order that has European-final opponents Toulon at its top.
The decision for Lancaster is whether Ashton, at 27, has done enough to end the experiment with much younger wings – Jack Nowell, 21 a fortnight ago, and Jonny May, 24. If he considered Ashton back to his best, it would not be an admission of failure but that his strategy was right.
Article source: http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/tv3-secures-rights-to-2015-rugby-world-cup-30187579.html
Forgotten man Chris Ashton working his way back into England"s plans
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