Sale bring exiled wing ace back to boost England World Cup bid
MATT Banahan is convinced Chris Ashton can roar right back into England contention following the ace winger’s decision to quit Toulon for Sale.
Ashton’s shock move means he is eligible for Test duty once more, and Premiership rival Banahan, who partnered the Wiganer during England’s 2011 World Cup campaign, believes he will be at the forefront of boss Eddie Jones’s thinking.
Banahan, below, told The Rugby Paper: “I’d imagine the move is pretty much down to Eddie saying that if he comes over he might get back in the team, especially after he scored three tries for the Barbarians against England in May and his outstanding form in France.
“When you see the class he showed all last year for Toulon, why can’t he get back in the squad?
“There are a lot of quality back-three players in England and you can’t question the way they’ve been playing, but I’d like to see a fully fit and in-form Chris Ashton on one wing, with Jack Nowell on the other and Anthony Watson at full-back.
“That’s harsh on Jonny May and they might stick with him, Mike Brown and Elliot Daly, but you’ve got two back-threes there that are very competitive.
“It’s all about form and how they start the season, but Ashton has a great chance.”
Banahan, meanwhile, is settling into a new life at Gloucester after electing to call time on a 12-year stint at Bath, for whom he notched 100 tries in 264 appearances.
Far from looking back in anger at Bath’s failure to offer him a contract commensurate with what he believed he was worth, the powerful poacher said: “I’ve moved on from that and it’s the right time for a change after doing my best at Bath.
“I was fortunate to play at one club for 12 years and I’m happy with the outcome. It’s just nice to start with a clean slate at a new club rather than thinking of ifs and buts and I want to create another bit of history somewhere else now.”
Banahan, 31, added: “The first game at Kingsholm will be strange, knowing it will be my home patch, and going back to Bath for the first time will be different, but other than that I’ve just got stuck into training with a new bunch of blokes.
“The majority of Gloucester guys I knew already and I’m just looking to bring the form I’ve shown at Bath over the last couple of seasons.
“I feel I’m a better player now than when I played for England and the difference now is I play with a lot less stress and just enjoy myself.
“I’ve played in multiple positions and I’ve been happy with my game, so the icing on the cake now would be winning some silverware. With the squad Gloucester are putting together, over the next year or two we must be contenders.”
Banahan is looking forward to being reunited with fly-half Danny Cipriani, who arrives at Gloucester with his England ambitions reignited.
Banahan said: “I’ve known ‘Cips’ for 13 or 14 years going back to our age group days and it’s a great opportunity for him to show his talent.
“With the exciting backline Gloucester have got and the big set of forwards they’re putting together, it’s a huge season for him and Billy Burns.
“Cips being back in the England set-up is definitely good news for Gloucester, and with Henry Trinder, Jason Woodward and other guys like Jake Polledri pushing for Test honours as well, that will raise the standard of training massively.
“If that translates into how the team performs, look out!”