Rugby Union: ‘Glint in Chris Ashton’s eye’ convinced Eddie Jones about England return

Eddie Jones was convinced Chris Ashton still has an international future by the “glint in his eye” only minutes before he ran England ragged with a hat-trick for the Barbarians at Twickenham in May.

Jones on Thursday handed Ashton an immediate return to the England fold following his summer move to Sale when he was included in a 44-man pre-season training squad, along with the South Africa-born Michael Rhodes, now qualified on residency.

Dylan Hartley also features after missing the summer series defeat by the Springboks but Jones is yet to appoint a defence coach amid reports in South Africa linking the former All Blacks coach John Mitchell, currently the Blue Bulls’ director of rugby, with the vacant role.

Ashton has not played for England since the summer of 2014 and his international career appeared over following his move to Toulon at the end of last season. After a record-breaking campaign in which he scored 24 tries in the Top 14 he secured an early release from his £700,000-a-year contract to return to reignite his England ambitions.

“Before the Barbarians game we had a quick chat and he had a bit of a glint in his eye, which indicated something and that something was that he wanted to come back to England,” said Jones. “He wants to play for England and he sees this as his last opportunity so we’re very pleased that he’s made that decision. It shows a lot about his desire and those are the sorts of players we want.”

Jones denied that Ashton was ever frozen out of the England picture before leaving Saracens for Toulon despite featuring in only one of the head coach’s squads, in January 2016. A 10-week ban ruled him out of Jones’s opening Six Nations campaign before he was left out of that summer’s tour of Australia.

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A 13-week ban convinced Ashton to seek pastures new and the 31-year-old said before the Barbarians match: “I did feel as though the door had been shut and it affected my confidence.” Asked if Ashton’s face did not fit, Jones replied: “Not as far as I was concerned.”

While handing Ashton a long-awaited recall, Jones has wasted no time in calling up Rhodes at the first available opportunity. One of Saracens’ most consistent performers since his move from the Stormers in 2015, he was not eligible to tour South Africa but became available for selection in July. Jones has also been boosted by Hartley’s return after a spell on the sidelines because of concussion – not least as his captaincy was evidently missed in the first two Test defeats on the summer tour of South Africa. “Like any of those head injuries, it’s touch and go. You never know when you’re going to recover and how well you’re going to recover and given the way, medically they’re looked after now, it’s always a flip of the coin.”

A number of players who missed the tour of South Africa are still absent, including Manu Tuilagi, Danny Care, Dan Cole, George Kruis and Jack Nowell. Tuilagi underwent a knee operation this summer but is confident of being fit for the start of the season. Brad Shields is also missing having just finished his Super Rugby campaign with the Hurricanes.

The Bulls issued a statement on Thursday insisting there have been no formal offers for Mitchell but did reveal interest has been shown, without specifying from whom. Jones is yet to name Paul Gustard’s replacement but is confident of making an appointment before England’s next training camp in late September. “[We] would like to confirm that John Mitchell informed us that interest was shown in his services, no formal offer has however been received,” read a Bulls statement. “[We] would furthermore like to confirm that John Mitchell’s contract expires on the 31 October 2019.”

Backs: C Ashton (Sale), M Brown (Harlequins), D Cipriani (Gloucester),
J Cokanasiga (Bath), E Daly (Wasps), N Earle (Harlequins),
O Farrell (Saracens), G Ford (Leicester), P Francis (Northampton),
G Ibitoye (Harlequins), A Lozowski (Saracens), J Marchant (Harlequins), J May (Leicester), J Olowofela (Leicester), D Robson (Wasps),
H Slade (Exeter), B Spencer (Saracens), B Te'o (Worcester),
B Youngs (Leicester).

Forwards: L Cowan-Dickie (Exeter), T Curry (Sale), J George (Saracens), D Hartley (Northampton), J Haskell (Northampton), A Hepburn (Exeter), P Hill (Northampton), N Hughes (Wasps), N Isiekwe (Saracens),
M Itoje (Saracens), J Kpoku (Saracens), J Launchbury (Wasps),
C Lawes (Northampton), J Marler (Harlequins), M Rhodes (Saracens),
C Robshaw (Harlequins), S Simmonds (Exeter), K Sinckler (Harlequins),
J Singleton (Worcester), W Spencer (Leicester), E Stooke (Bath),
S Underhill (Bath), M Vunipola (Saracens), H Williams (Exeter),
M Wilson (Newcastle).

Not considered for selection: J Clifford (Harlequins), D Cole (Leicester), D Care (Harlequins), C Ewels (Bath), E Genge (Leicester), J Joseph (Bath), G Kruis (Saracens), J Nowell (Exeter), B Shields (Wasps),
D Solomona (Sale), M Tuilagi (Leicester), B Vunipola (Saracens),
A Watson (Bath), R Wigglesworth (Saracens).