In-form England winger Chris Ashton might be a marked man on Saturday, however he intends to do everything in his power to maintain his formidable try-scoring run against France at Twickenham.
The Northampton Saints flyer has made a barnstorming start to his international career, scoring nine tries in as many games since making his Test debut against Les Bleus almost one year ago.
He was the scourge of Wales and Italy in the opening games of the 2011 RBS Six Nations campaign, scoring two and four tries respectively, and the 23-year-old will be hoping to maintain his exceptional form at rugby HQ this weekend.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s showdown, Ashton told skysports.com: “We had a week off last week so we got a chance to get a rest in and do some of the training we needed to do and we’re just looking forward to getting back into it.
Challenge
“We’re not overconfident, but just confident enough. We’ve had two good wins, played well both times so we’re looking to do the same again against the French.”
Ashton’s exploits have prompted France defence coach Dave Ellis to formulate a special plan to stop him from adding to his tally at Twickenham.
However the buoyant wing is relishing the challenge and hopes the attention on himself will create opportunities elsewhere for team-mates.
“It’s pretty hard to mark a winger, if I was a number eight running from the back of the pack all the time I could understand that but if they want to single me out that’s great, hopefully it will create gaps somewhere else,” he added.
“I’ll certainly be trying my best to keep my record up. It’s hard in these Test matches, it’s just luck at the minute I think. We’re playing well, and I’m just running up the middle as always.”
Comments from another member of the France camp have also added fuel to the fire ahead of Saturday’s encounter, with coach Marc Lievremont launching a scathing attack on England and their popularity.
Criticism
Lievremont claimed in the week that Martin Johnson’s side are the most disliked in the competition and the team that everyone loves to beat.
Responding to his comments, Ashton said: “He’s entitled to say what he wants to say, but I think we all knew what he thought about us beforehand anyway.
“It doesn’t make any difference to us, we know they job we have to do.
“Everyone likes to play against England and even after Saturday there are some big games to come.”
Ashton’s swallow-dive try celebration has also created a lot of media attention in recent weeks, although he insists he will continue to do what he loves doing most – crossing the whitewash.
“It’s not something I think about doing before the match,” he added. “I just love scoring tries.”
