Punishments helped push Ashton towards his roving role

Ashton received what team-mate Toby Flood playfully described as a “tongue-lashing” from Martin Johnson and the England management following his try celebration in last Friday’s win against Wales.

Team manager Johnson also rebuked the Northampton star, who scored twice in England’s 26-19 victory, for conceding a needless penalty and chatting back to the match officials.

“I took a lot of stick,” said Ashton, after he was named in an unchanged team to face Italy. The only change Johnson has made to the 22-man squad that defeated Wales is on the bench, where Leeds Carnegie’s Hendre Fourie replaces Joe Worsley after recovering from a calf injury.

“Steve Thompson said ‘let’s put him at the front of the meeting and all start beating into him’.”

Ashton started celebrating his first try at the Millennium Stadium before crossing the line and he finished it with an extravagant swallow dive, with ball clutched precariously in one hand.

It was a trademark Ashton score. He had come off his wing, tracking the play before appearing on Flood’s left shoulder to score between the posts.

England have built much of their attacking game around having a roving wing like Ashton and it is why they employ direct runners like Shontayne Hape and Mike Tindall in midfield. But it was only because he used to get in trouble in his old rugby league days at Wigan, and was shoved out on the wing as punishment, that Ashton developed that devastating side to his game.

“It goes back to being at Wigan. For a punishment our coach Ian Millward used to throw me out on the wing,” said Ashton, who was a full-back in the 13-a-side code.

“He knew I hated it out there because in league you are virtually just stood on the wing and you can’t get involved. Ian Millward did it a lot for things like spilling the ball in training, missing a tackle and even falling over. I don’t like standing out there on my own, I want to get involved.

“When I came over to rugby union they (Northampton) said, ‘You are on the wing’. I didn’t want to do it so they gave me the free rein to run off the wing and I realised it wasn’t the same (as league).”

England: Foden; Ashton, Tindall (capt), Hape, Cueto; Flood, Young; Sheridan, Hartley, Cole, Deacon, Palmer, Wood, Haskell, Easter. Replacements: Thompson, Wilson, Shaw, Fourie, Care, Wilkinson, Banahan.

Italy: McLean; Masi, Canale, Sgarbi, Bergamasco; Orquera, Canavosio; Perugini, Ghiraldini, Castrogiovanni, Del Fava, Geldenhuys, Bernabo, Zanni, Parisse (capt). Replacements: Ongaro, Lo Cicero, Dellape, Barbieri, Semenzato, Burton, Garcia.

Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa).