Saracens FC flanker Kelly Brown believes club mate Chris Ashton has done enough to secure a quick return to the England Rugby Team, having been extremely impressive for the London club as they reached the final of the Heineken Cup.
Faced with tremendous criticism over the last few months, Ashton answered back all that criticism on the field as he single handedly led the Aviva Premiership club to a 46-6 win over Clermont Auvergne in the semi final, setting up a final date with French Top 14 side Toulon.
The 27 year last appeared in a Test for England in their 22-30 defeat at the hands of New Zealand at Twickenham Stoop, being left in the international wilderness by head coach Stuart Lancaster. He was completely ignored from selection for the Six Nations Championship as well.
But having spent close to two full seasons with the former Wigan Warriors player, Brown believes Ashton is an asset that the England Rugby Team cannot afford to ignore for too long.
According to Brown, the final decision lies with the coaching staff of the England team but he believes Ashton is a brilliant player. He added when the club first signed him, he knew he was a good player who could get on the end of things. But it wasn’t before he had played that he had known how good he is off the ball as well.
And the Scotsman believes if Ashton does make his return to the England setup, he will be an asset for the team, one who could power the England Rugby Team to Rugby World Cup glory on home soil next summer.
Brown hailed the mentality of Ashton, and believes his mental toughness is something that most England players lack and the squad would do well with him in it.