ASHTON OUT IN THE COLD
Jones makes ‘easy call’ to opt for Quins’ Yarde over Saracens wing
EDDIE JONES declared yesterday that it was an easy decision to leave Chris Ashton out of his England squad to tour Australia, based on misgivings about his defensive work and a hunch about Marland Yarde’s vast potential.
When the England head coach named 32 players for the trip Down Under for a three-Test series against the Wallabies, the omission of Ashton was undoubtedly the most contentious selection decision. The Saracens wing has been in outstanding try- scoring form since returning from the ban which ruled him out of theth Sixi Nationsti and dh he evidentlyid tl f felt lt confident about his prospects of being selected.
In the aftermath of his club’s Aviva Premiership semi-final win over Leicester on Saturday, Ashton said: ‘My desire to play for England has not changed since I was a kid. It will never change. I’ve done all I can to get back. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance tot playl ini th the seriesi i in Australia.’t li
Instead, the 29-year- old received bad news when he was called by Jones yesterday morning. The Australian opted to include Manu Tuilagi — even though the Leicester centre has damaged a hamstring and is in grave danger of being ruled out of the tour either today or tomorrow morning — but overlooked Ashton in favour of Yarde.
‘It wasn’t a tough call to make, it was an easy call,’ he said. ‘Ashton has done well but there are parts of his game he needs to work on. Chris has scored a lot of tries, but there’s a part of the game where you don’t have the ball.
‘I had a chat to Chris this morning and in my eyes he’s not in the top three wings in England. He is going to be disappointed, but he knows what he has to do to improve.’
Despite the clear implication that they relate to his defence, Jones would not elaborate on what Ashton’s shortcomings have been. Asked about his try-scoring prowess, he pointedly said: ‘Chris Ashton has finished at club level.’
Instead, Jones preferred to focus on Yarde’s potential. Jones has gained a positive impression of the Harlequins flyer, with one snap-shot imprinted in his mind.
‘Marland probably got his first cap too early and didn’t realise how important it was to work hard,’ he said. ‘He’s now working hard and he is the sort of wing we want.
‘I always go back to the New Zealand game that England nearly won ( on tour in 2014), when Marland scored that try when he ran over the top of Richie McCaw. If a kid can do that, he’s got potential.
‘ He’s an interesting boy. He wants to portray that gangster image, but he is hard-working and can become a really good all-round player for England.’
Jones described Tuilagi’s prospects of being fit to face Australia as being ‘ very much in the balance’, after he went off at Allianz Park with a suspected torn hamstring. The centre will be assessed again by Leicester medics today, but the signs are not good. If he is ruled out, either Luther Burrell or Ollie Devoto — both in the squad to face Wales at Twickenham on Sunday — will be summoned for the tour.
Four uncapped players have been called upon for that crusade. One of them is Leinster’s Worcester- bound centre Ben Te’o. The Auckland-born No 12 represented Samoa in rugby league and moved to Dublin at the same time that his ex-Rabbitohs team-mate Sam Burgess joined Bath.
He has been on England’s radar since making it known that he would be moving to the Premiership, but his rapid selection has only come after a period of negotiation about the player’s eligibility due to the RFU’s edict against players based overseas being picked. He will play for Leinster in the Pro12 final on Saturday and Jones said: ‘He will be eligible as soon as that game finishes. He could be valua-
ble. He can play through the line, before the line. He’s a great hitter.’
Northampton’s back- rower Teimana Harrison has also been called up — as revealed by Sportsmail on Saturday — along with two wildcard prop selections: Quins’ Kyle Sinckler and Bristol’s Ellis Genge, who is on loan at Leicester. Both are known as aggressive, abrasive characters.
There are a few more colourful characters in this England squad. Jones wants a confrontational streak in the ranks; he should have plenty of it.