Chris Ashton has looked sharp this season without scoring a try. On Saturday he put that right with two in Saracens’ win over Worcester and joined the ever-growing queue of Englishmen trying to catch the attention of Eddie Jones.
“I still very much want to play for England,” said Ashton, the last of whose 39 caps was collected in New Zealand during 2014. “I’m 28, and I like the fight of it. I think the day I’m not bothered about England or Saracens is the day I’ll finish.”
English rugby, meanwhile, should beware of how the champions are looking at this stage of the season. Normally they bumble along through the cold midwinter months, then go on one of their famous bonding sessions and erupt into the spring, scoring tries left, right and centre.
Here, at the tail-end of November, they scored six tries, to add to the seven against Toulouse and Ulster over the previous two weekends, and promptly went out “for a few drinks” to send off Ernst Joubert, the South African No8 who heads into retirement after six years at the club.
There were further celebrations on Sunday. One shudders to think how many tries they will be racking up if they keep bonding and scoring like this until May.
“Ernst retiring was a quite a big point for us to focus on,” said Ashton. “We’ve made sure that he understands we appreciate what he’s done for Saracens. We tried to get him a try today but it wasn’t to be.”
Joubert will no doubt be happier that Ashton has broken his mini drought just in time for the farewell party, which might have been ruined had the wing’s frustrations lingered on. “We’re all delighted that Ashy scored today,” said Mark McCall, Saracens’ director of rugby, “because it’s been quite draining listening to him. He’s one of those great wingers who judges everything on whether he scores a try or not, like a good centre-forward. And when he doesn’t, he’s not satisfied.”
No one from Saracens has yet heard from Jones, the new England coach, but it surely will not be long before he drops in on his old club, such is the roll-call of Englishmen clamouring for his attention.
Maro Itoje produced another fine performance, as did Ben Spencer, Saracens’ third-choice scrum-half. .
And then there was Charlie Hodgson.
He will not be expecting Jones’s name to flash up on his phone, but to register his 2,500th Premiership point is a remarkable achievement. And it does not look as if he is finished there.
Saracens Ransom; Ashton, Bosch (Farrell, 70), Barritt (Tompkins, 65), Wyles; Hodgson, Spencer (De Kock, 53); Gill (Barrington, 53), Brits (Saunders, 65), Figallo (Lamositele, 65), Kruis, Hargreaves (capt; Itoje, 2), Wray (Vunisa, 56), Brown, Joubert.
Tries Ashton 2, Spencer, Wray, Brits, Ransom. Cons Hodgson 6. Pens Hodgson 2.
Worcester Pennell; Heem, Olivier, Mills, Vuna (Howard, 61); Heathcote, Arr; Leleimalefaga (Rapava Ruskin, 53), Annett (Bregvadze, 53), Schonert (Rees, 48), O’Callaghan (Cavubati, 58), Barry, Dowson (Cox, 58), Betty, Van Velze (capt).
Tries Rees, Van Velze. Con Heathcote. Pens Heathcote 2.
Sin-bin Dowson 61
Referee I Tempest (RFU). Attendance 42,680.