Chris Ashton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Chris Ashton

Personal information
Born	Christopher John Ashton (1987-03-29) 29 March 1987 (age 38) Wigan, England
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	92 kg (14 st 7 lb; 203 lb)
Playing information
Position	Wing, Fullback
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2005–2007 Wigan Warriors 52 28 2 0 116 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2006 England 4 3 0 0 12
Rugby career
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing, Fullback Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2007–2012 Northampton 110 (467) 2012–2017 Saracens 105 (235) 2017–2018 Toulon 30 (130) 2018–2020 Sale Sharks 32 (85) 2020–2021 Harlequins 7 (10) 2021 Worcester Warriors 4 (5) 2022–2023 Leicester Tigers 27 (65) 2007–2023 Total 315 (992) Correct as of 7 May 2023 National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2010–2019 England 44 (100) Correct as of 8 February 2019

Christopher John Ashton (born 29 March 1987) is a retired English rugby player. He played both rugby union and rugby league. He is one of the few players who have played for England in both types of rugby. Ashton usually played as a wing or fullback.

Ashton started his career playing rugby league for Wigan Warriors in the Super League. He played four games for the England team between 2006 and 2007.

In 2007, Ashton switched to rugby union and joined Northampton Saints. Later, he played for Saracens (2012), Toulon (2017), Sale Sharks (2018), and Harlequins (2020). He finished his career with Leicester Tigers in 2023. He first played for the England rugby union team in 2010. He played regularly until 2014, including in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, where he scored the most tries. After a break, he returned to the England squad in 2018. He played 40 games for England. In 2022, he became the top try scorer in Premiership Rugby with 95 tries. In 2023, he was the first player to reach 100 tries in the Premiership.

Rugby League Career: Wigan Warriors

Ashton usually played as a fullback or wing for Wigan Warriors. He joined Wigan through their special training program and played for their Under-18 team in 2003. He played his first senior game for Wigan in 2005. In that game, he scored two tries, helping Wigan win 36–22 against Huddersfield Giants.

In 2006, Ashton joined Wigan's main squad. He was one of their best players during the Super League XI season and was considered for the Young Player of the Year award. He scored 15 tries in 29 games, making him Wigan's top try scorer that year. In 2007, he was given the number 1 shirt, which is a special jersey for a key player.

Ashton played 52 games for Wigan and scored 28 tries in total.

International Rugby League Games

Ashton was chosen for the Academy Origin Series in 2004. He also went on a successful tour to Australia with the England Academy Under-18s team that year.

He was called up to the England senior squad in late 2006. This was while the Great Britain team was touring Australia and New Zealand. Ashton played his first game for the England team against France on 22 October 2006. This was part of the Federation Shield tournament. He played in all four Federation Shield games, helping England win the competition. He scored three tries in these four games.

Rugby Union Career: Clubs

Northampton Saints

On 19 March 2007, it was announced that Ashton would switch to rugby union. He signed with Northampton Saints after Wigan let him leave his contract early.

Ashton played his first game for Northampton on 1 September 2007. He came on as a substitute against London Welsh and scored his first try with his very first touch of the ball. Northampton won that game 44–11.

In 2008, Ashton set a new record in National Division One. He scored 39 tries in just 25 games.

Even though the 2008–09 season was a bit quiet for him, Ashton had a great run in the 2009–10 season. He scored 15 tries in 16 games, including tries in the Heineken Cup.

Ashton was named the Premiership player of the season for 2009–10. On 19 January 2012, it was announced that Ashton would join Saracens for the 2012–13 season.

Saracens

Chris Ashton playing in January 2014

Ashton started playing for Saracens on 1 September 2012 against London Irish. He scored two tries in his first game, helping Saracens win 40–3.

In the 2012–13 season, Saracens finished first in the league. However, they lost their semi-final game to Northampton. Ashton scored 6 tries that season.

During the 2013–14 season, Saracens again finished first. They won their semi-final against Harlequins, with Ashton scoring a try. But they lost a close final to Northampton at Twickenham. Ashton scored 8 tries that season.

In the 2014–15 Premiership season, Saracens made it to the play-offs. They beat Northampton in the semi-final, even though they played away from home. Ashton was a substitute in that game.

In the final at Twickenham, Saracens played Bath. Saracens took control early and won the game 28–16. Ashton came on as a substitute in the 60th minute.

Ashton had a very strong season, scoring 13 tries. This led to him being called back to the England training squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. However, he was not chosen for the final team.

In the 2015-16 season, Ashton helped Saracens win both the Premiership title and the European Rugby Champions Cup. He started in both finals. In the 2016-17 season, Saracens won the European Rugby Champions Cup again, with Ashton scoring a try in the final.

Ashton faced some disciplinary issues in 2016, which led to him being suspended from playing for periods of time.

Toulon

In October 2016, Ashton signed with the French club Toulon for the 2017–18 season. He played one season in France, scoring 24 tries in 23 games. This broke the record for the most tries in the Top 14 league.

Sale Sharks

On 3 July 2018, Ashton returned to England and signed with Sale Sharks for the 2018–19 season. He left the club by agreement on 2 March 2020.

Harlequins

On 4 March 2020, Ashton joined Harlequins. The team's head of rugby, Paul Gustard, said Ashton was a very competitive and dedicated player.

Worcester Warriors

On 25 January 2021, Ashton left Harlequins early to join Worcester Warriors. He played for them until the end of the 2021-22 season. On 13 December 2021, Worcester Warriors announced that Ashton had left the club.

Leicester Tigers

Ashton joined Leicester Tigers in February 2022. He played his first game against his old club, Northampton Saints. He scored his first try for Leicester on 12 March 2022 against London Irish. On 27 March 2022, he scored two tries against Exeter Chiefs, which tied the Premiership Rugby try-scoring record. On 30 April 2022, Ashton scored three tries against Bristol Bears, setting a new Premiership Rugby record with 95 tries.

Ashton played in the 2022 Premiership Rugby final, where Leicester Tigers beat his former team, Saracens, 15-12. On 16 April 2023, Ashton became the first player to score 100 tries in Premiership Rugby. He scored three tries against Exeter Chiefs, bringing his total to 101. He announced his retirement at the end of that season.

International Rugby Union Career

Ashton playing during the 2011 Rugby World Cup

England manager Martin Johnson called Ashton up to the senior squad for the 2010 Six Nations.

Ashton played his first game for England against France on 20 March 2010. He played on the left wing. He helped his teammate Ben Foden score a try.

Ashton went on the summer tour to Australia and played in both Test matches. He scored his first international try in the second match, which England won 21–20. On 13 November 2010, England beat Australia at Twickenham. Ashton was a star in that game, scoring two tries in a 35–18 victory. One of his tries came after a long run from his own 22-metre line.

Ashton scored two tries in England's first game of the 2011 Six Nations against Wales. England won 26–19. The next week, he scored four tries against Italy. This equaled the record for the most tries in a Six Nations season (six). He was also the first person to score four tries in a single Six Nations match. He often celebrated his tries with a special "swallow dive," which people called the 'Ash splash'.

Ashton played for England in the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. He was the top try scorer in the tournament, with six tries.

He played in all five matches for England in the 2012 Six Nations. In May 2012, he scored three tries as England beat the Barbarians. Ashton also went on the 2012 summer tour to South Africa, playing in all three Test matches.

Ashton played in all five matches for England in the 2013 Six Nations Championship. He scored a try in the first match against Scotland. England almost won the championship but lost to Wales in the final game. Ashton also played in all three of England's games in the 2013 autumn internationals, scoring a try against Argentina.

Ashton did not play for England in the 2014 Six Nations. He did play in England's games against the All Blacks in New Zealand, which England lost. He also missed the 2014 autumn internationals and 2015 Six Nations.

However, Ashton played very well for Saracens in the 2014–15 Premiership season. This good form led to him being called back into the England training squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. He was later removed from the squad before the tournament.

After England's disappointing World Cup, Eddie Jones became the new coach. Jones made changes to the squad, bringing back some players, including Chris Ashton. However, Ashton was later suspended from playing due to disciplinary reasons, so he missed the entire 2016 Six Nations tournament. Another suspension also meant he could not play in the 2016 Autumn internationals.

When Ashton joined Toulon in France, it seemed his chances of playing for England again were over, as players outside England were not usually chosen. But he returned to England with Sale Sharks. In May 2018, he played against England with the Barbarians and scored three tries. This performance might have helped him get back into Eddie Jones' squad.

Later in 2018, after another suspension, Ashton was chosen for the England squad for the Autumn internationals. In November 2018, he played for England for the first time in four years. He came off the bench in a win against South Africa and then started the game against New Zealand.

Career Honours

Northampton Saints

• European Challenge Cup Champion: 2008–09
• Anglo-Welsh Cup Champion: 2009–10
• RFU Championship Champion: 2007–08

Saracens

• Premiership Rugby Champion (2): 2014–15, 2015–16
• European Rugby Champions Cup Champion (2): 2015–16, 2016–17

Sale Sharks

• Premiership Rugby Cup Champion: 2019–20

Leicester Tigers

• Premiership Rugby Champion: 2021-2022

England

• Six Nations Championship Champion (1): 2011
• Calcutta Cup Champion (3): 2011, 2012, 2013
• Triple Crown Champion (1): 2014

International Statistics

NH = Tournament not held

Rugby League

International Tries

Try	Opposing team	Location	Venue	Competition	Date	Result	Score
1	Australia	Sydney, Australia	Stadium Australia	2010 Tour of Australasia	19 June 2010	Win	21 – 20
2	Australia	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2010 Autumn Internationals	13 November 2010	Win	35 – 18
3
4	Wales	Cardiff, Wales	Millennium Stadium	2011 Six Nations	12 February 2011	Win	26 – 19
5
6	Italy	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2011 Six Nations	4 February 2011	Win	59 – 13
7
8
9
10	Georgia	Dunedin, New Zealand	Forsyth Barr Stadium	2011 Rugby World Cup	18 September 2011	Win	41 – 10
11
12	Romania	Dunedin, New Zealand	Forsyth Barr Stadium	2011 Rugby World Cup	24 September 2011	Win	67 – 3
13
14
15	Scotland	Auckland, New Zealand	Eden Park	2011 Rugby World Cup	1 October 2011	Win	16 – 12
16	New Zealand	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2012 Autumn Internationals	1 December 2012	Win	38 – 21
17	Scotland	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2013 Six Nations	2 February 2013	Win	38 – 18
18	Argentina	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2013 Autumn Internationals	9 November 2013	Win	31 – 12
19	New Zealand	Dunedin, New Zealand	Forsyth Barr Stadium	2014 Tour of New Zealand	14 June 2014	Loss	27 – 28
20	New Zealand	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2018 Autumn Internationals	10 November 2018	Loss	15 – 16

Club Statistics

Rugby League

Rugby Union

Up to dates as of 16 April 2023

Playing Style

Chris Ashton was known for his excellent "support play." This means he was very good at running to be in the right place to receive a pass from a teammate. He learned this skill from his time playing rugby league. This is a big reason why he scored so many tries.

Another important quality Ashton had was his speed. He showed this when he scored a 90-metre try against Australia in 2010. He outran some of Australia's fastest players to score.

When Ashton scored a try, he often did a special "swallow dive." This move was nicknamed the 'Ash splash'. Some people liked it, but others worried he might drop the ball while doing it.

See also

In Spanish: Chris Ashton para niños