Chris Ashton’s last involvement in the Six Nations came a year ago and France were in his sights. He was assessing them as a television pundit, not that the event sticks in his mind.
It was February 23, 2018, and the Sale wing was armed with a microphone on the touchline as France took on Italy in Marseilles. Asked about broadcasting at the Stade Velodrome, he initially denied it on Friday.
Then it came back to him and the memory served as a surreal reminder of just how far he has come since last summer. ‘It was a year ago and I’d never have thought then that we’d be sitting here now, with me about to play France,’ said the 31-year-old.
Chris Ashton is back to represent England in the Six Nations once again on Sunday
He spoke about being recalled by Eddie Jones, for a starting place out wide in the England side to face France at Twickenham on Sunday, following a four-minute cameo in Dublin last Saturday, as the national team swept aside title-holders Ireland.
When he did his forgettable stint as a pundit, he was playing down the road at Toulon and blazing a trail in the Top 14, on his way to a record-breaking haul of tries last season. But so much changed so fast in the months that followed, starting with selection for the Barbarians and a hat-trick against England at Twickenham — which reminded Jones and the public here about his enduring predatory instincts.
Next came the release from his contract with the Cote d’Azur club and a transfer to Sale, bringing him back into range of a Test recall. A harsh pre-season ban threatened to derail the comeback but it ultimately didn’t.
Ashton started against the All Blacks in November, scoring an early try as England pushed the world champions all the way before succumbing to a narrow 15-16 defeat.
Eddie Jones is backing Ashton to start quickly and sniff out a try at Twickenham
The Sale winger is prolific and has come in to replace Jack Nowell out wide
He has continued in prolific fashion for his new club and after serving as one of Jones’s so-called ‘finishers’ last weekend, the irony is that Ashton has been included in the starting team this time, on account of his finishing prowess.
Jack Nowell has not been dropped, as such. He did nothing wrong in Dublin. Indeed, he contributed well to a momentous win. Jones has just settled on a different horse for this particular course.
England have developed a handy habit of striking at the start of games. In each of the last four Tests, they have scored tries in the opening minutes.
The management believe Ashton is the man to continue that useful trend.
Jones suggested that he had demonstrated an ‘unrelenting desire’ to play for England again and added: ‘He brings us something different that we think is going to be valuable at the start of the game. He’s a finisher.
‘We feel that maybe early in the game, as he did against New Zealand, he can find the line for us, which could be important.
‘He’s got a good awareness of opportunities. It’s not something that you coach, it’s something players develop at a young age and then continue to develop. He’s a try-poacher.’
Ashton has been labelled an expert ‘poacher’ and should have plenty of front-foot ball
Ashton hasn’t started a Six Nations game since the English capitulation in Cardiff in 2013, when they went to the Welsh capital seeking a Grand Slam and were thrashed 30-3.
He could not remember that, either, but that might have been a coping mechanism.
When asked to reflect on his last championship start, Ashton said: ‘I struggle with last week — was it five years ago? I’ve had a good few years watching the Six Nations and it’s such a great tournament, so I’m just happy to be part of it again.
‘When you’re younger and you’re in the team, you never think it’s going to be your last game. You think you’re going to have years at it, but that wasn’t the case for me. I definitely understand what it’s like to not be involved and not have the shirt, so it’s a big privilege for me to be back in.’
Courtney Lawes is the other player added to a successful England XV from the opening win against Ireland, so there will be no loss of experience, know-how, or physical clout. These are going to be vital qualities on Sunday.
Coaches and players have talked about raising the bar, but that will be quite some task. Jones’s men touched the stars in Dublin, when they were the underdogs and the opposition had been feted in the build-up.
Courtney Lawes is the other man to come into the side and will provide plenty of ballast
This time England are favourites.
Much work will have gone into making sure they reach the same emotional pitch as they did in Dublin, but it is not a precise science. There is no way of knowing if they can scale those peaks again until the game is underway.
The sheer physical stature of the France side — with a recalled Mathieu Bastareaud in midfield — should focus English minds. Jacques Brunel’s team are massive, but have already shown, in that remarkable defeat by Wales last Friday night, that they lack the mental strength to go with their physical attributes.
This will be a thunderous clash, but the visitors are there for the taking after throwing away a 16-point half-time lead last week. Even if England were to make hard work of beating them, France are always capable of beating themselves.
Last year in Paris, Les Bleus won 22-16, but that was during an England slump that has been arrested and reversed.
The latest evidence suggests that the home side will be more disciplined this time, more combative at the breakdown, more resolute in defence and armed with far more firepower.
The evidence suggests they can start fast and finish on top.
