Ashton’s alive and kicking at full-back
Chris Ashton hasn’t always shown the fancy kicking that helped Toulon secure a bonus-enhanced victory over Bordeaux-Begles yesterday. In fact, the last time he played full-back there, he gifted a Champions Cup try to Bath with a horribly-skewed attempted clearance in early December.
Now Toulon fans are thrilled to bits to see his talented boots in action when taking up that position for the first time since the unhappy fiasco.
Not exactly Cristiano Ronaldo, but, all the same, a deft chip from the turf bamboozled Bordeaux and allowed Ashton to sprint 25 metres to register his 14th try in the Top 14 this season.
He maintained his lead over all other championship try-scorers during a 3612 win that opened a significant gap ahead of Bordeaux, who had trailed them by just one point.
Ashton, criticised by Saracens for leaving them, has become a crowd favourite and, with backs like ex-All Black Ma’ Nonu and powerful Fijians Josua Tuisove and Semi Radrada around him, he looks in his element.
Bordeaux’s new team boss, Rory Teague, must have feared losing with his team shorn of key players on France training duty or injured.
But even he cannot have suspected Toulon would have four tries in half an hour to lead 26-0 with a bonus point within reach.
One-time Rugby League star Radrada started the rout, then came Ashton’s thrust followed by tries from flanker Raphael Lakafia and Tuisova.
Tuisova had an immediate rush of blood that drew a red card for a dangerous lunge round the neck of Aussie winger Blair Connor, who quickly took his revenge with a try in the same spot as the offence took place.
South African lock Juande Kruger put down this rebellion before the break and Radrada, who has signed to join Bordeaux next season, showed them what a fine recruit he will be, by adding the sixth try on the restart.
Bordeaux had been unlucky to lose centre Jean-Baptiste Dubie and fullback Geoffrey Cros to injury early on, but they did have the services of hooker Adrien Pelissie, exceptionally released by France boss Jacques Brunel, their recent manager.
A cautionary word for Bordeaux’s British staff of Teague, Jeremy Davidson and Joe Worsley. Their president Laurent Marti said: “I was very shocked by our state of mind. We were heading for a huge humiliation. If it hadn’t been for the red card, we would have conceded 70 points.”
As did Agen at Lyon whose 71-17 victory sent Bordeaux even further down the table. Lyon scored ten tries, confirmation they had survived an atrocious spell of form to revive hopes born from a spectacular start to the season.
Hero of the day was Baptiste Couilloud, a 20-year-old scrum-half who, is combining Top 14 rugby with engineering studies. He scored a hat-trick of tries as Agen conceded more on a regular basis from ex-Toulon forward Liam Gill, full-back Jean-Marcellin Buttin, hooker Mickael Ivaldi, fly-half Lionel Beauxis, Kiwi winger Toby Arnold, Samoan sub back-rower Taisana Tuifua and a penalty try.
The one surprise was that English winger Delon Armitage did not manage to get his name among the deluge of scorers.
Agen’s only consolation was that bottom club Oyonnax and Brive, just one place above Oyonnax in the relegation scrap, both lost.
By beating Oyonnax 37-15 with a bonus point, Toulouse managed to stay level on points with Toulon, but it was a close-run thing.
They required two tries with just a minute of normal time to go when they struck with devastating effect.
Back-row substitute Louis-Benoit Madaule was the first to go over seconds before the siren and Italian hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini, another from the bench, secured the crucial bonus point. The match was marred by a brainless bust-up between Toulouse lock Yoann Maestri and Oyonnax Kiwi No. 8 Rory Grice, who were still squabbling as they were sent off the pitch. For Maestri, once a France regular but now abandoned, it was not a wise career move, but his team deserved their success.
It was built on first half tries from wingers Yoann Huget and Maxime
“Toulon fans are thrilled to see Ashton’s talented boots in action at full-back again”
Medard with full-back Thomas Ramos, a try-scorer himself, contributing 17 points to the total.
La Rochelle took a provisional lead at the top by beating Brive 33-24 but will have to await second-placed Montpellier’s match at Clermont today to see whether they remain ahead.
Brive, who have collected just two points on the road, fought valiantly, striking back with tries each time La Rochelle threatened to run away.
Thus, when Kiwi flanker Jason Eaton extended the lead just after the break, Brive winger Benjamin Lapeyre reduced the deficit with a try of his own. And, when La Rochelle winger Eliott Rondil scored his second try of the game, Lapeyre popped up again. Enough to give Brive stout hope of staying up.
In the late game, Racing’s Pumas winger Juan Imhoff scored twice as the Parisian side edged Castres.