Dylan Hartley says Northampton don’t need Chris Ashton
Ashton, 25, racked up an incredible 93 tries in his five seasons at Franklin’s Gardens but did not depart in a blaze of glory following an acrimonious fall-out with director of rugby Jim Mallinder.
And far from mourning his departure, his England team-mate Hartley claims the rugby league convert will not be missed with Samoan speedster Ken Pisi, who has joined his brother George at Saints, and youngster Jamie Elliott vying to fill Ashton’s berth.
“We have always had players that wanted to be here,” Hartley said. “But with wingers there’s always someone younger and faster coming through. We won’t miss him. I’m not denying his ability to find the ball and finish tries but we’ve got Ken Pisi and if he’s anything like George he’ll be outstanding.
“George doesn’t touch a weight and his training ethic isn’t the best and he’s awesome in the field. I’ve seen Ken’s ethic and it’s brilliant so hopefully he’ll be better than George.
“We’ve got Jamie Elliott coming through all right as well and our old stalwart, pepper-face Paul Diggin, so we aren’t short of good wingers.
“You have got to remember Chris hasn’t been with the club now for four months – out of sight out of mind.
“There are new players who have come in and they don’t know who he is so what’s the point in talking about him.”
With Northampton having reached the last three Premiership play-offs and lost every match, as well as throwing away a 22-6 half-time to Leinster in the 2011 Heineken Cup final, the tag of perennial bridesmaids hangs over the club’s head.
Despite the loss of Ashton, Mallinder’s squad looks as strong as it ever has done following the arrivals of Pisi along with centre Dom Waldouck and South African loose forward Gerrit-Jan van Velze, and Hartley is confident they can stop the rot.
“We still made the top four after a poor start last year so the message is clear: be consistent,” he added.
“A lot of teams drop off through Christmas and New Year and that’s the time we can re-focus. We must be doing something right because we’re there or thereabouts each year. It’s just about taking that final five minutes of a game.
“This year has been quite good and we’ve worked hard in pre-season, which will hopefully come through onto the field.
“Surely there should be some sort of rule that three-time semi-finalists should be allowed to go through! So maybe, maybe, this year we’ll go through.”
Key to do that will be Hartley’s ability to lead by example and keep his cool under pressure.
The hooker, who already had a previous conviction for eye-gouging, missed the Saints’ run-in – including their play-off semi-final defeat to Harlequins – after an eight-week ban for biting but he maintains he is not going to change his hard-edged attitude to the game.
He said: “Discipline in any team is important. I don’t think you can go into the season thinking about trying to stay out of the disciplinary office – it’s ridiculous.
“You go out to pay the game, unfortunately things happen in the game and that’s that.
“The game is changing. Players are going to be more aware of that. There’s TV cameras everywhere. But you don’t go to do that. You go out to play rugby and win games.”
JACK ZORAB
