Chris Ashton
Encyclopedia
Chris Ashton is an English
rugby union
player who has represented England in both Rugby League and Rugby Union. Ashton plays wing for Northampton Saints
in the Aviva Premiership and formerly with Wigan Warriors
in Rugby League's Super League
competition as a Fullback.
was full-back. He also operated on the wing.
Ashtons first love for rugby began in a club in cork clonakilty where started his love for apples
Ashton came through Wigan's scholarship programme and played in Wigan U18s
in 2003. He made his senior debut in Wigan's last match of the 2005 season. He scored two of their seven tries in a 36–22 victory over Huddersfield
. After impressing in the academy, where he scored 27 tries in 23 games, he made his Super League
debut against Hull in June 2005, at the age of 18.
Ashton was brought into the Wigan squad at the start of 2006 as replacement for the injured Kris Radlinski
. He had impressed on his debut in 2005, but in 2006 he showed good skill, pace and talent and impressed many Wigan fans and people within Rugby League. Ashton was one of the most consistent players for Wigan during a disappointing Super League XI
season and was a contender for the Young Player of the Year award. He finished the 2006 season with 15 tries from 29 appearances making him the leading try scorer for Wigan.
Ashton was given the number 1 shirt at the start of 2007 despite the arrival of former Bradford Bulls
full back Michael Withers
. Previously the number 1 shirt was worn by Radlinski and had been for 12 years and many people believed that Ashton had the talent to be a good replacement for Radlinski. Adding to his reputation as something of an enigma, Ashton made a mixed start to the 2007 season, being criticised for his poor defence under high kicks, error-strewn play during the pre-season friendlies and the 28–32 loss to Bradford Bulls in round 3; in which he was also sin binned for a professional foul.
He made 52 appearances for the Cherry and Whites, scoring 30 tries.
.
Although some criticisms were made about his defensive abilities, he earned a call into the England squad at the end of 2006 whilst Great Britain were on tour in Australia and New Zealand. Ashton made his England
debut against France
on 22 October 2006 in the Federation Shield
tournament. He played in all four Federation Shield matches, which concluded with England winning the competition, and he scored three tries in his four games.
for Northampton Saints
. Wigan
granted Ashton an early release from his contract, freeing him to complete his cross-code move.
On 1 September 2007, he made his debut for Northampton at Franklin's Gardens as a late substitute for Will Harries
against London Welsh in National Division One. He scored his first try for the club, with his first touch of the ball, in the same game which Saints won 44–11.
The following week he scored on his debut for Northampton's second team, Northampton Wanderers. and a substitute scoring appearance against Moseley
.
In 2008, Ashton broke the National Division One try scorer record, scoring 39 tries (and one conversion) from only 25 appearances.
Despite a relatively disappointing 2008–09 season, with many appearances in the Wanderers and struggling to make it into the first team as a regular fixture, in the 2009–10 season Ashton embarked on a run of form that brought 15 tries in 16 games in all competitions including Heineken Cup efforts against Munster
and Perpignan
.
He was named as the Premiership player of the season for 2009/10.
manager Martin Johnson rewarded him by calling him up to the senior squad for the 2010 Six Nations
.
He made his England début against France
on 20 March 2010 in Paris. He played left wing, the opposite side to his usual position with Northampton. He gave the scoring pass to fellow Saints player, fullback Ben Foden
, who was also making his first Six Nations
start.
He was taken on the summer tour to , and played in both Test matches. Although England lost the first Test, they won the second 20–21. Ashton scored his first international try in this match. On 13 November 2010, England defeated Australia at Twickenham. Ashton was the hero of the match with two tries in a 35–18 victory, the second after a run from inside the home team's 22 metre line.
Ashton scored two tries in England's opening 2011 Six Nations Championship
match against Wales
at the Millennium Stadium
on 4 February, with England winning the game 26–19. He followed this with four tries against Italy
the following week equalling the all time Six Nations record with six championship tries. This performance also meant he is the first person in the history of the Six Nations to score four tries in a single match. His famous swallow dive celebration was used to celebrate two of these tries.
NA= Club was not eligible for tournament
player, has been praised and is often cited as the main reason that he is such a prolific try scorer.
Another of Ashton's key attributes is his speed, which he demonstrated by scoring a 90-metre try against Australia in the autumn of 2010.
When Ashton scores, he often performs a "swallow dive". He has been praised and rebuked in equal measure for it, with many people worrying that it will one day lead to him dropping the ball in the act of scoring. It is also viewed by many as arrogant and disrespectful to the opposition.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who has represented England in both Rugby League and Rugby Union. Ashton plays wing for Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
in the Aviva Premiership and formerly with Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
in Rugby League's Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
competition as a Fullback.
Wigan Warriors
Ashton'started playing rugby in clonakilty where he started his love he also met with 1 of his best friend tall paul pet paul o regan for apples position of choice at Wigan WarriorsWigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
was full-back. He also operated on the wing.
Ashtons first love for rugby began in a club in cork clonakilty where started his love for apples
Ashton came through Wigan's scholarship programme and played in Wigan U18s
Wigan Warriors Youth Development
Wigan Warriors Youth Development is the youth system of the Rugby League Football club Wigan Warriors. It is one of the most famous and successful youth system for rugby league and has produced some of the best players in both rugby league and rugby union. The Wigan Warriors Youth Development...
in 2003. He made his senior debut in Wigan's last match of the 2005 season. He scored two of their seven tries in a 36–22 victory over Huddersfield
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
. After impressing in the academy, where he scored 27 tries in 23 games, he made his Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
debut against Hull in June 2005, at the age of 18.
Ashton was brought into the Wigan squad at the start of 2006 as replacement for the injured Kris Radlinski
Kris Radlinski
Kris Radlinski MBE is a former English rugby league and who played for his hometown club Wigan Warriors throughout his career and also represented Great Britain. He is of Polish descent.-Playing career:...
. He had impressed on his debut in 2005, but in 2006 he showed good skill, pace and talent and impressed many Wigan fans and people within Rugby League. Ashton was one of the most consistent players for Wigan during a disappointing Super League XI
Super League XI
Engage Super League XI was the official name for the year 2006's Super League season in the sport of rugby league in Europe. Bradford Bulls were looking to retain the title they won in Super League X....
season and was a contender for the Young Player of the Year award. He finished the 2006 season with 15 tries from 29 appearances making him the leading try scorer for Wigan.
Ashton was given the number 1 shirt at the start of 2007 despite the arrival of former Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
full back Michael Withers
Michael Withers
Michael Withers is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who represented at international level for Ireland. He played club football in Australia for the Balmain Tigers of the National Rugby League, and in England with Wigan Warriors and Bradford Bulls of...
. Previously the number 1 shirt was worn by Radlinski and had been for 12 years and many people believed that Ashton had the talent to be a good replacement for Radlinski. Adding to his reputation as something of an enigma, Ashton made a mixed start to the 2007 season, being criticised for his poor defence under high kicks, error-strewn play during the pre-season friendlies and the 28–32 loss to Bradford Bulls in round 3; in which he was also sin binned for a professional foul.
He made 52 appearances for the Cherry and Whites, scoring 30 tries.
International
Ashton was selected for the 2004 Academy Origin Series and the 2004 victorious England Academy U-18s tour to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Although some criticisms were made about his defensive abilities, he earned a call into the England squad at the end of 2006 whilst Great Britain were on tour in Australia and New Zealand. Ashton made his England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
debut against France
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
on 22 October 2006 in the Federation Shield
Federation Shield
-Standings:-Final:Rob Purdham captained the victorious England side in this tournament, with Matt Diskin as the vice-captain. The Paul Cullen coached side entered the final as favourites following a successful group stage with three wins from three matches....
tournament. He played in all four Federation Shield matches, which concluded with England winning the competition, and he scored three tries in his four games.
Northampton Saints
On 19 March 2007 it was announced that Ashton had signed to play rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
for Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
. Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
granted Ashton an early release from his contract, freeing him to complete his cross-code move.
On 1 September 2007, he made his debut for Northampton at Franklin's Gardens as a late substitute for Will Harries
Will Harries
Will Harries is a Wales international rugby union player. He has also been selected for the Wales national rugby union team squad. He played for the Northampton Saints and spent time on loan at Bedford Blues...
against London Welsh in National Division One. He scored his first try for the club, with his first touch of the ball, in the same game which Saints won 44–11.
The following week he scored on his debut for Northampton's second team, Northampton Wanderers. and a substitute scoring appearance against Moseley
Moseley
Moseley is a suburb of Birmingham, England, two miles south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants...
.
In 2008, Ashton broke the National Division One try scorer record, scoring 39 tries (and one conversion) from only 25 appearances.
Despite a relatively disappointing 2008–09 season, with many appearances in the Wanderers and struggling to make it into the first team as a regular fixture, in the 2009–10 season Ashton embarked on a run of form that brought 15 tries in 16 games in all competitions including Heineken Cup efforts against Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
and Perpignan
USA Perpignan
Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais or Unió eSportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà , generally abbreviated as USAP in both languages, is a French rugby union club that plays in the city of Perpignan in Pyrénées-Orientales. The club currently competes in the Top 14, the top level of the French...
.
He was named as the Premiership player of the season for 2009/10.
International
Ashton's try-scoring exploits brought him to the attention of the national selectors and EnglandEngland national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
manager Martin Johnson rewarded him by calling him up to the senior squad for the 2010 Six Nations
2010 Six Nations Championship
The 2010 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2010 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 11th series of the Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition between the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
.
He made his England début against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
on 20 March 2010 in Paris. He played left wing, the opposite side to his usual position with Northampton. He gave the scoring pass to fellow Saints player, fullback Ben Foden
Ben Foden
Benjamin Foden is a rugby union footballer who plays for Northampton Saints and England. He plays at fullback or scrum-half, but can also operate on the wing...
, who was also making his first Six Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
start.
He was taken on the summer tour to , and played in both Test matches. Although England lost the first Test, they won the second 20–21. Ashton scored his first international try in this match. On 13 November 2010, England defeated Australia at Twickenham. Ashton was the hero of the match with two tries in a 35–18 victory, the second after a run from inside the home team's 22 metre line.
Ashton scored two tries in England's opening 2011 Six Nations Championship
2011 Six Nations Championship
The 2011 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2011 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 12th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy,...
match against Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
on 4 February, with England winning the game 26–19. He followed this with four tries against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
the following week equalling the all time Six Nations record with six championship tries. This performance also meant he is the first person in the history of the Six Nations to score four tries in a single match. His famous swallow dive celebration was used to celebrate two of these tries.
International statistics
NH= Tournament not held| Team | Year | Six Nations | Other | World Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps+Subs | Tries | Apps+Subs | Tries | Apps+Subs | Tries | Apps+Subs | Tries | ||
| England rugby league England national rugby league team The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football... |
2006 | NA | NA | 9+0 | 8 | NA | NA | 9+0 | 8 |
| 2007 | NA | NA | 0 | 0 | NA | NA | 0 | 0 | |
| England rugby union England national rugby union team The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in... |
2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NH | NH | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NH | NH | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 1+0 | 0 | 6+0 | 3 | NH | NH | 7+0 | 3 | |
| 2011 | 5+0 | 6 | 3+0 | 6 |
Club statistics
DQ= Club did not qualifyNA= Club was not eligible for tournament
| Club | Season | League | Challenge Cup | Heineken Cup | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Tries | Apps | Tries | Apps | Tries | ||
| Wigan Warriors Wigan Warriors Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011.... |
2005 Super League X Super League X engage Super League X is the official name of 2005's Super League season. It was the 10th season of Super League and saw twelve teams from across England compete for the premiership. The season kicked off in early February, culminating in a six team play-off seriesThe Grand Final, held at Old... |
2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | NA | NA |
| 2006 Super League XI Super League XI Engage Super League XI was the official name for the year 2006's Super League season in the sport of rugby league in Europe. Bradford Bulls were looking to retain the title they won in Super League X.... |
26 | 13 | 2 | 1 | NA | NA | |
| 2007 Super League XII Super League XII Engage Super League XII is the official name for the year 2007's Super League season in the sport of rugby league.The 2007 season kicked off on the weekend of 2 February 2007 at the Galpharm Stadium. For the first time, the league had a staggered start due to the World Club Challenge between St... |
19 | 10 | 3 | 2 | NA | NA | |
| Northampton Saints Northampton Saints Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591.... |
National Division One 2007-08 National Division One 2007-08 Leeds Carnegie joined National Division One, having been relegated from the Guinness Premiership after the 2007-08 season. Otley and Manchester were promoted from National Division Two.... |
25 | 39 | NA | NA | DQ | DQ |
| Premiership 2008-09 2008-09 Guinness Premiership -Table:-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6:-Round 7:-Round 8:-Round 9:-Round 10:-Round 11:-Round 12:-Rearranged fixtures:-Round 13:-Round 14:... |
9 | 1 | NA | NA | DQ | DQ | |
| Premiership 2009-10 | 20 | 16 | NA | NA | 6 | 6 | |
| Premiership 2010-11 | 6 | 4 | NA | NA | 4 | 1 |
International tries
| Try | Opposing team | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
ANZ Stadium | Test Match | Won | ||
| 2 | London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
Twickenham Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000... |
Test Match | Won | ||
| 3 | ||||||
| 4 | Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for... , Wales Wales Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²... |
Millennium Stadium Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage... |
2011 Six Nations 2011 Six Nations Championship The 2011 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2011 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 12th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy,... |
Won | ||
| 5 | ||||||
| 6 | London, England | Twickenham | 2011 Six Nations | Won | ||
| 7 | ||||||
| 8 | ||||||
| 9 | ||||||
| 10 | Dunedin, New Zealand | Otago Stadium | 2011 Rugby World Cup 2011 Rugby World Cup The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005... |
Won | ||
| 11 | ||||||
| 12 | Dunedin, New Zealand | Otago Stadium | 2011 Rugby World Cup | Won | ||
| 13 | ||||||
| 14 | ||||||
| 15 | Auckland, New Zealand | Eden Park Eden Park Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable... |
2011 Rugby World Cup | Won |
Playing style
Ashton's support play, which he learnt during his days as a Rugby LeagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player, has been praised and is often cited as the main reason that he is such a prolific try scorer.
Another of Ashton's key attributes is his speed, which he demonstrated by scoring a 90-metre try against Australia in the autumn of 2010.
When Ashton scores, he often performs a "swallow dive". He has been praised and rebuked in equal measure for it, with many people worrying that it will one day lead to him dropping the ball in the act of scoring. It is also viewed by many as arrogant and disrespectful to the opposition.
External links
- Player profile Scrum.com
- Profile Northampton Saints
- Profile England - RFU.com
- Career Stats Statbunker