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Chris Ashton has finally had his say on sudden exit from Sale last week
By Online Editors
New Harlequins winger Chris Ashton has lifted the lid on the sudden manner of his exit from Sale Sharks last week.
Steve Diamond, his boss at the Manchester club, had claimed the ex-England back departed due to a “difference of opinion”.
Sharks announced on Monday of last week that the winger was departing with immediate effect after the club reached a mutual agreement with the 32-year-old regarding the termination of his contract.
Diamond said the following day: “There is no situation, just a disagreement on how we want to play the game. He wants to do it one way, I want to do it another and that’s it, so end of story.”
However, Ashton has now had his say on a dramatic departure which resulted in him being announced as a Harlequins player two days after he was released by Sale.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Rugby Union Weekly podcast, Ashton explained: “I didn't feel as though we had the relationship that I'd hoped for.
“We did bang heads on a few things but it's only because I wanted the club to get better and win. It was never any other way than that.
“It is a shock that Steve said that and it’s a shock he said it to me last Monday night, that he felt that way. I could have gone in and said I want to change this opinion you have of me but I didn't necessarily believe it was right.
"After I got home from my meeting (with Diamond) my mum and missus said ‘what's wrong with you’. I must have been as white as some kitchen cupboards. They said ‘what's up?’ ‘I haven't got a job, I don’t think I’ve got a job’ - it was that fast.”
Ashton linked up with Harlequins shortly after leaving Sale but he wasn't included in their squad for last Sunday's Gallagher Premiership loss at Bristol.
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Mallia deserves 8 at least. Brains and skills for the comeback. Him, Garcia and Albornoz the core of The Pumas attack. Hope to see them in the 15s against France
Go to commentsYeah nar I pretty much agree with that sentiment, wasn't just about the lineout though.
Yeah, I think it's the future of SR, even TRC. Graham above just now posting about how good a night it was with a dbl header of ENGvSA and NZvFrance, and now I don't want to kick SA or Argentina out of TRC but it would be great if in this next of the woods 2 more top teams could come in to create more of these sort of nights (for rugby's appeal). Often Arg and SA and both travel here and you get those games but more often doesn't work out right.
Obviously a long way off but USA and Japan are the obvious two. First thing we need to do is get Eddie Jones kicked out of Japan so they can start improving again and then get a couple of US teams in SRP (even if one its just a US based and augmented Jaguares).
It will start off the whole conferences are crap debate again (which I will continue to argue vehemently against), but imagine a 6 team Pacific conference, Tokyo Sunwolves (drafted from Tokyo JRLO teams), Tokyo All Stars (made up of best remaining foreign players and overseas drafts), ALL Nihon (best of local non Tokyo based talent, inc China/Korea etc, with mainland Japan), a could of West Coast american franchises and perhaps a second self PI driven Hawai'i based team, or Jagaures. So I see a short NFL like 3 or 4 month comp as fitting best, maybe not even a full round, NZvAUSvPAC, all games taking place within a 6hr window. Model for NZ will definitely still require a competitive and funded NPC!
On the Crusaders, I liked last years ending with Grace on the bench (ovbiously form dependent but thats how it ended) and Lio-Willie at 8. I could have Blackadder trying to be a 7 but think balance will be used with him at 6 and Kellow as 7. Scott Barrett is an international 6 sized player. It is just NZ style/model that pushes him into the tight, I reckon he'd be a great loose player, and saders have Strange and Cahill as bigger players (plus that change could draw someone like Darry back). Same with Haig now, hes not grown yet but Barrett hight and been playing 6, now that the Highlanders have only chosen two locks he'll be playing lock, and that is going to change his growth trajectory massively, rather than seeing him grow like an International 6.
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