Ashton: Sale was only place I wanted to come
CHRIS Ashton has revealed that homesickness as well as the determination to relaunch his England career underpinned his decision to swap Toulon for Sale.
Ashton’s stunning form in his debut season in the French Top 14 that saw him set a new try-scoring record of 24 rekindled his international ambitions with the 2019 World Cup looming.
Being named in Eddie Jones’ pre-season training squad that gathered in London over the weekend edged him closer to his goal, although it was only when added to the squad’s WhatsApp group that he knew of his selection.
Also influencing the request to end his Toulon deal with two years still to serve, however, was the desire to return to the north west of England with his wife Melissa and daughter Ava.
“Playing in France was exactly what I thought it was going to be - a different culture and environment. I’m a better person and player for experiencing it,” the former Northampton and Saracens wing said.
“It was a great experience for me and my family but we also understood how much we appreciate our families at home.
“We both have big families and going out there with a young baby and looking to have more babies we found harder than we anticipated.
“Although Toulon is not far away, it felt far away at times. We definitely feel more settled back in England.
“It means quite a lot for me to be at home and with my family. There’s no other place in England I can relate going back to like that.
“I’ve been away for 11, 12 years so I felt it was a nice time to go back and play rugby up here.
“The only place I really wanted to go was Sale. They were with me throughout the process.”