TIPPED OUT
Ashton ban kills off his England hopes
CHRIS ASHTON’S ambitions of an England return were last night hit by a seven-week ban.
It almost certainly rules him out of a place in Eddie Jones’ autumn squad.
Ashton joined Sale from Toulon in the summer to make himself available again for the national side.
But he won’t have played a Premiership game for his new club when Jones (right) reveals his hand for the fourmatch series on October 18.
“It’s disappointing, but there’s not much we can do,” said Sale director of rugby Steve Diamond.
Ashton, 31, who last played for England four years ago, was included by Jones for a squad get-together in Teddington earlier this month.
But he was sent off for a dangerous tip tackle in a stormy pre-season friendly win over French champions Castres last Friday.
He was suspended for a total of 23 weeks in 2016, while at Saracens, for making contact with the eyes of Ulster’s Luke Marshall and biting Northampton’s Alex Waller.
The Sharks rounded on the French champions Castres for sparking the flare-up, which will leave them without Ashton until the European Challenge Cup tie against Perpignan on October 12.
Diamond claimed the incident that saw Ashton sent off and then banned during what was meant to be a friendly was triggered by an eye-gouging attack on the former England wing. He said: “It was brutal violence against Sale from Castres. “I’ve got seven people unfit to train because of it – concussion, broken ribs, you name it. There were three red cards, three yellow cards and things that would be red cards if seen by Premiership disciplinarians. “It was fantastic if you were watching it, but we took some serious injuries.” Castres scrum-half Rory Kockott, also dismissed for punching during the Ashton incident, was suspended for one week. Danny Cipriani made his Gloucester debut last night in a friendly against the Dragons after escaping a ban at an RFU disciplinary hearing on Wednesday.