Share

Injured Ashton ruled out of Wallaby clash

London - England wing Chris Ashton is unavailable for Saturday's rugby union Test with Australia because of a calf injury, forwards coach Steve Borthwick said on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old returned to the England squad for the November series after a hiatus of more than four years and played in all three Tests this month.

He capped his return by scoring a try in the 16-15 defeat to world champions New Zealand.

However, the former Saracens and Toulon star -- who is now at Sale -- left the field after just half an hour of last Saturday's win over Japan and Borthwick confirmed he would not be fit for the Wallabies match.

"Chris was scanned yesterday and has been ruled out for a couple of weeks," said Borthwick.

Borthwick conceded that Ashton -- who made his name in rugby league before switching codes in 2007 -- will be a major loss to England.

"Chris is a fantastic player who knows his way to the try-line," Borthwick said.

"He's been great around the squad the last few weeks.

"It's very disappointing but it gives an opportunity to another player. We have a lot of good wingers."

England head coach Eddie Jones -- who will be looking to make it three wins from four Tests in November having also scraped a narrow win over South Africa -- will name his starting line-up on Thursday.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1816 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1774 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1083 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 459 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 186 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 253 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE