Chris Ashton: I just hope Eddie Jones wouldn't have picked me for Six Nations

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Chris Ashton: I just hope Eddie Jones wouldn't have picked me for Six Nations

PA Sport

April 8, 2016

© (Photo by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images)

Chris Ashton has revealed the only way he could come to terms with England's Grand Slam triumph was by convincing himself he would have been overlooked by Eddie Jones.

Ashton was ruled out of the entire Six Nations after receiving a 10-week ban for making contact with the eye area of Ulster centre Luke Marshall in January and his Saracens comeback finally came against Bath one week ago.

The suspension meant he was forced to watch England's march to the title as a peripheral figure for club and country, all the while knowing he had been pushing hard for a place in the starting XV after falling out of favour under the previous regime.

Mixed emotions flooded through the 29-year-old wing, who starts Saturday's Champions Cup quarterfinal against Northampton, as the 13-year wait for a Grand Slam came to an end in Paris.

"I told myself it wouldn't have been me. That was the way I had to look at it - I had to hope I wouldn't have got picked," Ashton said.

"I approached it as though I probably would have gone home anyway and not played. That kind of helped me.

"I don't think it mattered whether I actually believed that or not, it's what I taught myself to help me sit and watch England win.

"It's an outstanding achievement for them to win the Grand Slam. Obviously I'd have liked to have been involved, but still it's nice to see England win it after so long. They definitely deserved it.

"The ban felt a little bit like it was my last chance gone. There was the change in coaches with Eddie Jones coming in and it felt like I had a real opportunity - to have that then taken away is difficult."

To help cope with the frustration and sense of grievance caused by the severity of a ban that resulted in his longest absence from the game, Ashton would complete wrestling sessions with one of Saracens' forwards coaches.

"I just got battered every week at wrestling, but I needed something extra. You do get frustrated. You miss Saturday or Sunday at 3pm," Ashton said.

"Every weekend you have that outlet and have something you're driven and focused on. If you haven't got that...I ended up down Tesco just ramming old ladies out of the way with my trolley."

© PA Sport

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Chris Ashton: I just hope Eddie Jones wouldn't have picked me for Six Nations