More denial for Ashton
11 Feb 2008
Brian Ashton says England were never going to lose Sunday’s match against Italy.
The result is the first Six Nations win for the Poms after the 26-19 defeat to Wales last week. At Twickenham, England threw away a 19-9 lead to lose, and there were shades of this dismal effort in Rome where they scraped a 23-19 win over the Azzuri.
Ashton believes there was no chance of another second half collapse which would have seen a historic win for the Italians.
“At no stage did I think Jesus Christ, we’re going to throw this away,” he said. “We folded last week. I don’t think we did this week. We didn’t have the best of second halves. But at least we finished on the Italian line, not on our own line, like we did last week.”
England defied expectation in making the 2007 World Cup final, where they lost 15-6 to the Springboks. Ashton believed England were on the up, and is now blaming a string of injuries to top players in the build up to the Six Nations.
“I wanted some continuity from the World Cup but a series of injuries and illnesses have blown that out of the water completely,” he said. “The evolution of the side became more of a revolution.”
15 Comments
11 Feb 2008, 09:37 am
WTF?
did the old man forget take his medication?
11 Feb 2008, 09:38 am
Ashton’s right. Italy were never going to beat the World Cup finalists.
11 Feb 2008, 11:05 am
They should have lost by 50!!! That was the worst rugby I have seen in ages!
11 Feb 2008, 11:48 am
England has become the laughing stock of world rugby.
Only Big Hit still believes in this team.
11 Feb 2008, 11:50 am
I wish he’d put his teeth in before he speaks. Can’t always make out what his saying.
11 Feb 2008, 11:50 am
his = he’s
11 Feb 2008, 12:20 pm
Ashton is Big Hit.
Depth…………depth………….depth.
They have a couple of alright players and as soon as they get sick or get wilkinsoned they look like a team that is ranked at about 8th in the IRB ranking,actually that is where they were placed before rugby world cup and back they go
11 Feb 2008, 12:39 pm
5 more minutes. If only Italy had 5 more minutes. They were looking dangerous. An Italy victory, in my opinion, was only a metter of time.
Time they didn’t have unfortunately
11 Feb 2008, 13:42 pm
If Italy had something that resembled a backline they would have trashed the Poms.
11 Feb 2008, 14:04 pm
my voice is still croaked…last time I screamed this much was when the Bokke lifted Bill.
11 Feb 2008, 16:17 pm
England Women maintained their tilt at a third consecutive Grand Slam with a 76-6 demolition of Italy Women at Stadio Tre Font on Saturday.
Having accounted for Wales Women in the first round, 55-0, the reigning champions took their Italian counterparts to the cleaners with a twelve-try rout.
11 Feb 2008, 16:24 pm
Watch our understrength team whack Italy today
Comment by Big Hit : February 10, 2008 @ 12:32 pm
11 Feb 2008, 16:25 pm
one really needs to watch what they say on this site. It always somehow comes back to bite you in the ***.
11 Feb 2008, 17:34 pm
Well, as for Ashton and his blaspheming. I think only JC himself can get that England side going.
It doesnt make sense:
1. The ERU is probably the richest rugby union in the world.
2. They have a superb local and regional club structure matched by very few.
3. They have a home grown that is not known as “Fortress Twickenham” for nothing.
Yet he goes and turns them into a side of average losers !!
If Nick Mallett coached England I would be a very worried Bok supporter, but as long as Father Time is coaching them, I will sleep peacefully.
11 Feb 2008, 17:35 pm
grown – ground
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.