James Lynch
19th-January-2012, 10:47
From the Daily Telegraph
Chris Ashton walks out on Northampton after row with director of rugby Jim Mallinder Chris Ashton’s tempestuous recent relationship with Northampton appears to have reached breaking point after the England wing reportedly stormed out of the club following a training ground argument with the club’s director of rugby, Jim Mallinder. http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02113/chris-ashton_2113453b.jpg Let me go: Northampton wing Chris Ashton is on the brink of a move to Saracens Photo: GETTY IMAGES
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01803/Brendan_Gallagher__1803701j.jpg (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/brendangallagher/)
By Brendan Gallagher (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/brendangallagher/)
11:55PM GMT 18 Jan 2012
The Daily Telegraph also understands that Ashton has been dropped for Saints’ sell-out Heineken Cup match against Munster at Milton Keynes on Saturday, despite Mallinder insisting that he would field his strongest available side for such a prestigious match.
It now looks likely that Ashton has played his last match for Northampton. Saracens are expected to unveil him as their major new signing next week, as soon as they have concluded their Heineken Cup pool matches.
The former Wigan rugby league wing is likely to seal a three-year contract believed to be worth in the region of £250,000 a year.
It is understood Wednesday’s bust-up occurred directly after Ashton told Northampton and Mallinder of his final decision regarding Saracens. As recently as the Premiership match against Harlequins on Jan 6, Ashton was insisting that no deal had been done and that he was still making his mind up.
However, last weekend Saracens consultant Brendan Venter, talking in South Africa, said there would probably be an announcement “in the next couple of weeks”.
Ashton had let it be known privately that he wanted everything to be settled before the start of the Six Nations.
As England’s campaign effectively starts on Monday, when the squad meet in camp at the West Park club in Leeds, a long and sometimes bitter saga was always likely to come to a head this week, especially with Mallinder insisting that at Northampton he wanted only players who were fully committed to the Premiership club.
The timing of Ashton’s announcement will have infuriated the Saints, who still have a very slim chance of qualifying for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.
While they regard that outcome as near impossible, a win of any sort against Munster would almost certainly see them move through to the knockout stages of the Amlin Challenge Cup.
Young wing Jamie Elliott looks likely to get the nod ahead of Ashton, who has been heavily linked with Saracens since November. Ashton’s absence from Saturday’s match means he will now be unable to participate in a top-flight match before England’s opener against Scotland at Murrayfield on Feb 4.
Already chronically short of rugby after his one-month ban for tackling Alesana Tuilagi by his hair during Northampton’s Premiership match against Leicester early in December, Ashton has played in just two games – against Harlequins and then Scarlets last week. Match fitness is beginning to become a real issue.
Ashton, whose Northampton contract runs out at the end of May, is perfectly entitled to seek employment wherever he wants for next season, but there has been real acrimony ever since allegations surfaced in November that Ashton had been approached by Saracens ahead of the transfer window, which started on Jan 1.
Saracens strenuously deny allegations of an illegal early approach, but the split between Ashton and Northampton intensified after all their other top England players – Ben Foden, Tom Wood, Dylan Hartley and Courtney Lawes – signed on for contract extensions in quick succession before Christmas.
At one stage an exasperated Mallinder reported that Ashton and his representatives were refusing to talk about the moving or staying, and from that moment the relationship looked beyond repair.
Chris Ashton walks out on Northampton after row with director of rugby Jim Mallinder Chris Ashton’s tempestuous recent relationship with Northampton appears to have reached breaking point after the England wing reportedly stormed out of the club following a training ground argument with the club’s director of rugby, Jim Mallinder. http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02113/chris-ashton_2113453b.jpg Let me go: Northampton wing Chris Ashton is on the brink of a move to Saracens Photo: GETTY IMAGES
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01803/Brendan_Gallagher__1803701j.jpg (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/brendangallagher/)
By Brendan Gallagher (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/brendangallagher/)
11:55PM GMT 18 Jan 2012
The Daily Telegraph also understands that Ashton has been dropped for Saints’ sell-out Heineken Cup match against Munster at Milton Keynes on Saturday, despite Mallinder insisting that he would field his strongest available side for such a prestigious match.
It now looks likely that Ashton has played his last match for Northampton. Saracens are expected to unveil him as their major new signing next week, as soon as they have concluded their Heineken Cup pool matches.
The former Wigan rugby league wing is likely to seal a three-year contract believed to be worth in the region of £250,000 a year.
It is understood Wednesday’s bust-up occurred directly after Ashton told Northampton and Mallinder of his final decision regarding Saracens. As recently as the Premiership match against Harlequins on Jan 6, Ashton was insisting that no deal had been done and that he was still making his mind up.
However, last weekend Saracens consultant Brendan Venter, talking in South Africa, said there would probably be an announcement “in the next couple of weeks”.
Ashton had let it be known privately that he wanted everything to be settled before the start of the Six Nations.
As England’s campaign effectively starts on Monday, when the squad meet in camp at the West Park club in Leeds, a long and sometimes bitter saga was always likely to come to a head this week, especially with Mallinder insisting that at Northampton he wanted only players who were fully committed to the Premiership club.
The timing of Ashton’s announcement will have infuriated the Saints, who still have a very slim chance of qualifying for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.
While they regard that outcome as near impossible, a win of any sort against Munster would almost certainly see them move through to the knockout stages of the Amlin Challenge Cup.
Young wing Jamie Elliott looks likely to get the nod ahead of Ashton, who has been heavily linked with Saracens since November. Ashton’s absence from Saturday’s match means he will now be unable to participate in a top-flight match before England’s opener against Scotland at Murrayfield on Feb 4.
Already chronically short of rugby after his one-month ban for tackling Alesana Tuilagi by his hair during Northampton’s Premiership match against Leicester early in December, Ashton has played in just two games – against Harlequins and then Scarlets last week. Match fitness is beginning to become a real issue.
Ashton, whose Northampton contract runs out at the end of May, is perfectly entitled to seek employment wherever he wants for next season, but there has been real acrimony ever since allegations surfaced in November that Ashton had been approached by Saracens ahead of the transfer window, which started on Jan 1.
Saracens strenuously deny allegations of an illegal early approach, but the split between Ashton and Northampton intensified after all their other top England players – Ben Foden, Tom Wood, Dylan Hartley and Courtney Lawes – signed on for contract extensions in quick succession before Christmas.
At one stage an exasperated Mallinder reported that Ashton and his representatives were refusing to talk about the moving or staying, and from that moment the relationship looked beyond repair.