Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

'Just hugged him': Worcester respond to 'Ashton wants out' rumour

(Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

Worcester boss Jonathan Thomas has dismissed speculation that ex-England winger Chris Ashton is unhappy at the club and is looking to leave the Gallagher Premiership outfit who celebrated their first on-field league win last Saturday since last November. The 34-year-old joined the Warriors last January from Harlequins but injury has meant he has only made four appearances so far.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ashton was unavailable for last weekend’s season-opening victory over London Irish at Sixways and it was speculated on the latest episode of The Rugby Pod that he is looking to leave, speculation quickly shot down by an exasperated Thomas who claimed he had just hugged the veteran on the training ground on Tuesday after he came through his first proper session in a while.  

It was during a reflection on the rare Worcester Premiership when Rugby Pod co-host Jim Hamilton asked Andy Goode where Ashton was, a query that promoted an eye-raising response. “Rumour has it, I have heard on the grapevine he [Ashton] ain’t happy, Worcester ain’t happy with him, he is going to be leaving there soon,” claimed Goode. “I genuinely have heard that.”

Video Spacer

John Kirwan on the impact northern hemisphere rugby has had on the Springboks attack

Video Spacer

John Kirwan on the impact northern hemisphere rugby has had on the Springboks attack

The allegation was soon put to Thomas at his weekly Worcester media briefing and he dismissed what was said on the show. “Who was it with the rumour? Andy Goode, I’ll have to give him a call after this,” quipped the rookie Warriors head coach. “Goodey likes to say ‘I’ve heard’ or ‘I have got a source’, he likes that one. He can just give me a call, he has got my number, he can call and ask me. He hasn’t done that. I have just hugged him [Ashton] on the training field, so what do you think?”

It was with the Barbarians where ex-Wales back-rower Thomas first got to know Ashton, who is contracted at Worcester through to the end of the 2021/22 season, and while his time at the Warriors has been frustrating, the coach is expecting great things soon from the former Premiership title winner.   

“Ashy trained today [Tuesday], first proper session. I gave him a hug after the session because it has been really tough for him. Since he has come to the club he has had calf issues, knee issues. He is a champion player who is very, very competitive and it has been really frustrating for him that he hasn’t been able to get out on the field. What makes him happy is training hard and playing and scoring tries so he hasn’t been able to do that, but he took part in the session there today and he had a really good contribution. 

“He will not be available for selection this weekend (at Harlequins) and Gloucester is probably too soon. It’s almost like a player that has come back from a long-term injury. What Chris has to do now, we have to increase his load, build his capacity and we are hopeful he will be fit and available to play in a couple of weeks’ time. It’s the first time we have seen him going hard, running hard in quite a while, so really pleased that he is up and running.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Hamilton, an ex-Saracens teammate of Ashton, had joked with Goode on The Rugby Pod that he was happy things weren’t working at Worcester for his former colleague. “Ashy used to come in every single day and call me horrible names, say I used to look like a bag of sick when I was sat there with my achilles was torn, my rib broke, my fingers pointing in a different direction and I couldn’t breathe out my nose because it was broken in three different places – so he bloody deserves it.”

 

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
JPM 41 minutes ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

Unfortunately you don't know anything about French rugby, coaches and players but still making a lot of assumptions and judgements to push your prefabricated and simplistic point of view that Dupont is manipulating everything and is a bad guy. I am not a NZ rugby specialist and wouldn't dare make such theories about what is going on within the ABs team. Therefore my advice to you is to do like Dupont and stay humble when you don't know all the background of the issues !!!


Firstly if you knew a bit of Galthié, he is not the type of coach who is going to ask advice to his players and even his captain about team selection. He is as stubborn as you...


Second Ramos has played a lot of times as 10 with Toulouse and therefore Dupont (in particular when Ntamack is injured and unfortunately it has often happened recently and for long periods). He even played 10 during the last 3 games of the 2024 6N and this was far better performance than the first two games with Jalibert as 10.


Thirdly Jalibert lacked of respect to a La Rochelle player so your theory is once again out.


Fourth as I explained to you Galthié went for a 6-2 bench and Jalibert can only play 10 which doesn't fit that plan. Furthermore as 15 Buros is better under high balls than Ramos and everybody is prepared for a tactical kicking game.


So you can blame Galthié for a lot of things (as you clearly enjoy doing at the end of your post and you should be very happy as an AB fan) but certainly not Dupont. Sorry once more for your conspiracy theory.


And don't worry about potential disharmony in the French team; they are excellent mates around their captain. Jalibert is well known in the French rugby circles to have not a strong character (and we saw that in the WC quarter finals as he is very nervous in any decisive international game unlike Ntamack and Ramos as for his late penalty kick vs England this year).


In conclusion enjoy the game tmrw night. It is good that the ABs are very upset; we should watch a great game of rugby. I hope for running rugby and not too much kicking. With 5 key players injured on our side (Ntamack, Baille, Atonio, Cros and Penaud) and 2 on your side I and various French fans see you as favourites. I obviously hope for another result.


If you are interested you can read a good article in the Guardian on the subject of France-NZ games.

92 Go to comments
K
KB 43 minutes ago
The 'one difference' between Boks and the back-to-back All Blacks

Consistency hasnt been there they have many great players SA were also not unbeaten in the 2023 WC - NZ were in 2015 WC McCaw and Carter Nonu and Smith - SA did not have those Marque players in those postions in 2019 or 2023 - I wouldnt rank them ahead of the 20I5 ABs - They clocked up 60 points against France in the QF - Furthermore I do not believe for one moment SA won 2023 fairly no way - they were so favoured it became obvious that behind the scenes SA the nation bought the title - Their last 3 matches were won by a solitary point there were many contentious decisions that went their way that it became obvious it wasnt coincidence - Sport has been hijacked by a satanic cult just as is Politics

Some players coaches officials and sponsors are involved - they know who they are - its called Freemasonry - any sport that allows betting is corrupt - its not all about money either for these parasites its also about control - Lots of American NFL players have spoken openly about games being scripted - Football is also rigged Referees have been caught on film showing freemason hand signs - The 95 RWC final ranks as the highest and most obvious attempt at cheating There was no way SA were going to allow NZ to gate crash Nelson Mandelas reunification party - NZ were so good they had to posion almost the entire team to get a 3 point win - a Hollywood Movie ( theres your Red Flag ) was made about SAs triumph called Invictus


William Henley wrote a poem called Invictus


It starts


Out of the night that covers me BLACK ( All Blacks ) as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever GODS maybe for my unconquerable Soul ...( Olan says INVICTUS is an evil Malevolent entity who corrupted the Titans ... this is Mandelas double meaning speech ( hes a fraud ) - of thanks for helping overcome SA's adversary NZ - There is only ONE true God Yahuah - Only a false god would be complicit in Cheating Corruption and Harming others to win a RWC for a sick and sinful Nation ) the poem ends with


I am the CAPTAIN of my soul


SA will forever bear the stain of guilt and disgrace over their involvement in poisoning the ABs a day before the 95 RWC Final

10 Go to comments
C
CO 1 hour ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

I cannot believe that you don't think the French rugby team coach and captain are not discussing putting Jalibert on the bench in favour of Duponts club teammate that doesn't even play at 10.


This is a terrible, massive insult to a 10 and I'm sure Dupont would also be very enraged if benched for a player that doesn't even play halfback.


A good captain would've insisted to the coach that it was an idea of madness and either select Jalibert or replace him with another 10 if you want him to be reserve.


Jalibert may not be the world's finest tacklers but that's often not a tens main strength that the loose forwards and second five cover. An intercept pass is never great but they happen.


When any player is playing for his club then it's club first, respect doesn't need to be shown to opposition players simply because they're internationals.


Who exactly are you claiming Jalibert hasn't respected? If it's Toulouse international players then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this bench demotion out.


The outcome of selecting Jalibert to the bench and he then throwing his croissants out the window of the team bus immediately prior to playing the Allblacks is a disaster that will be team disharmony as any team mates of Jalibert are in a state of anger and revolt so a performance that will be sub optimal against a team that is thirsting for revenge against France.


I don't know about you but the Allblacks are very upset they've lost twice in a row to France and want to put out a statement performance so this preparation by Galthie of creating havoc looks to me like a coach that is clueless.

92 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Raffaele Storti: The Portuguese 'arrow' poised to carve up Murrayfield Raffaele Storti: The Portuguese 'arrow' poised to carve up Murrayfield
Search