CONFIRMED: Chris Ashton is back in the Gallagher Premiership

Wednesday, 09 February 2022 at 18:02

byRugby Rucker

Leicester Tigers have signed dual-international Chris Ashton on a short-term contract.

The 34-year-old joins Tigers from Worcester Warriors having previously represented fellow Gallagher Premiership clubs Harlequins, Sale Sharks, Saracens and Northampton Saints, as well as a season with Toulon in the French Top14 league.

During his year in France, he broke the record for tries scored in a single season with 24 tries in 23 appearances.

Leicester Tigers

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✍️ Welcome to Leicester Tigers, Chris Ashton. The dual-international has joined the club on a short-term contract.

5:30 PM · Feb 9, 2022

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He is the leading try-scorer in European Champions Cup history with 40 and third on the all-time list for tries scored in Premiership Rugby with 89.

Ashton made his professional rugby league debut for Wigan Warriors as an 18-year-old, scoring two tries in his first appearance, before going on to make more than 50 appearances for the Super League club.

He represented England in rugby league on two occasions before making the switch to rugby union in 2007 and, in 2010, Ashton made his Test debut for England in the Six Nations.

Discussing his move to Tigers, Ashton added: “The opportunity to join this group, under Steve Borthwick, and be part of what is being built here was one that I couldn’t ignore.

“Steve has been very clear with me on his expectations of anyone coming into this environment and I am excited for the chance to learn, improve and hopefully contribute to the club on and off the field.

“It is a pretty young group and I feel like I can certainly pass on my own experiences, as well as still feeling very much that I can play a part on the field to drive the team forward.”

Most Overrated XV In Rugby History Picked By Fans In Controversial Rankings

Back-Three:

15. Johan Goosen (South Africa) - "He was supposed to be the next big thing for Springbok rugby, and now he's barely remembered."
14. George North (Wales) - "is the most overrated player of this generation, when was the last time he had a good game that wasn’t against Italy."
11. Chris Ashton (England) - " That man lived off his 'solo' try against Australia and managed to get in the England team every time. He couldn't tackle a crossword! Lacks creativity and only works running a line of a short pass from number ten. Overrated definitely!"

Centres:

13. Manu Tuilagi (England) - "Beside the word "overvalued" in the dictionary, there should probably be a picture of Mr.Manu Tuilagi.""
12. Gavin Henson (Wales) - "one kick and one big tackle and everyone thought he was the bees knees for the next few years. To be honest, he was as useful as a fish with wing."

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Halfbacks:

10. Danny Cipriani (England) - "I think compared to normal players he's pretty decent. But, we're talking about being overrated, and Danny has been constantly touted by the media as the next big thing and he has definitely not lived up to that mantle."
9. Ben Youngs (England) - "He is the most overrated English scrum half ever and isn’t in the top 4 scrum half’s in England let alone the world."

Front-row:

1. Gethin Jenkins (Wales) - "Played for far too long. Was nowhere near international in the last few years yet still always got picked."
2. Dylan Hartley (England) - " Outside of the England dressing room, i guess he was never massively rated but, Jones specifically, loved him. I never saw him as international quality and more of a liability than anything else."
3. Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy) - "Sure he had nice hair and liked dogs, but I've seen better skilled prop down my local rugby club.

Second-row:

4. Richie Gray (Scotland) - "He is just a massive, there are much better 2nd rows out there he just gets PR'd much more effectively."
5. Will Skelton (Australia) - Physical specimen almost without peer but couldn't seem to produce regular performances matching his size. Didn't seem to put enough work in and eventually faded away.

Back-row:

6. Peter O'Mahony (Ireland) - "He tends to have a massive game just when he/his team needs it and then go back to anonymity for a while."
7. Sebastien Chabal (France) - "Talented athlete who put in the odd big tackle but when push came to shove he always seemed to wilt away from the physical side of the game."
8. Sergio Parisse (Italy) - "Going to be controversial but Sergio Parisse. Sure he had fantastic skills but he was a show pony and not a work horse and people often overlooked this. He looked fantastic for Italy but that was because he was allowed to do all the flashy stuff but was mediocre in other areas."