Chris Ashton stepped into the sunset on Sunday, finishing a long and decorated career in true style with two tries as Leicester walloped Exeter 62-19.
The 36-year-old signed off on a professional sporting career that that began way back in 2005 with the Wigan Warriors. He became the first player in Premiership history to score 100 tries and he celebrated his final try in rugby - #101 - by stepping into the terraces and applauding himself.
Sometimes you've just got to sit back and admire... 👏
Chris Ashton has saved his best celebration for try No.101 🤣#GallagherPrem | #LEIvEXE pic.twitter.com/mmPF7iBV3l— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) April 16, 2023
You'd have to say it was deserved.
Ashton's abilities on the wing were perhaps underappreciated in this country. Ashton's trademark swandive try "the Ash Splash" was wildly grating to be on the wrong side of. There was something about Ashton bombing tries in that white England jersey that reeked of a particular kind of English rugby arrogance that proliferated in the early 2010s.
The Wigan-born winger also had a number of memorable meeting with Munster around the start of the last decade. Ashton has the honour of being one of only English rugby players to be dump tackled in the Burger King in Limerick. He and Dylan Hartley made an error of judgement at 3am on the day Munster had defeated Northampton in a Heineken Cup quarterfinal, by heading in for a burger. The rest is internet history.
This photo of Ian Dowling from that night captures a lot of Irish sentiment towards Ashton.
22 January 2010; Ian Dowling, Munster, has words with Chris Ashton, Northampton Saints. Heineken Cup, Pool 1, Round 6, Munster v Northampton Saints, Thomond Park, Limerick. Picture credit: Diarmuid Greene / SPORTSFILE
Ronan O'Gara's tribute to Chris Ashton
It was notable to Ronan O'Gara take to Twitter Sunday evening to praise Ashton.
Chris Ashton Class bloke, Class player.. too often misunderstood but a brilliant person and what a career in both codes. Congrats.
Chris Ashton
Class bloke, Class player.. too often misunderstood but a brilliant person and what a career in both codes. Congrats.— Ronan O Gara (@RonanOGara10) April 16, 2023
O'Gara and Ashton had a few run-ins, memorably during the 2011 Six Nations game between Ireland and England, but those small scraps have not dinted O'Gara's feelings towards the Leicester player.
19 March 2011; Ireland's Ronan O'Gara and England's Chris Ashton clash during the second half. RBS Six Nations Rugby Championship, Ireland v England, Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road, Dublin. Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
O'Gara's comments are a reminder that we only know so much about the players we cheer for and against when we watch sport.
Ashton spoke to Jim Hamilton last year about his regrets about the Ash Splash and said he wished he'd never done it as it took on a life of its own.
He says seeing the Ash Splash turn up in an episode of Room 101 was particularly sickening.
Watch enough interviews with Ashton and you realise he's not the pantomime Ash Splashing character. Speaking to the BBC after the game, Ashton sounded full of gratitude.
"I've had an overwhelming week with the retirement and stuff, but my motivation has always been the same - to score tries for my team and it was no different today.
"I've struggled the past few weeks just to get fit but I felt good out there - I almost thought 'have I retired too early?'
Like Andy Farrell, Ashton is born-and-bred in Wigan and rose up through rugby league before swapping codes in 2007. He might have been fun to cheer against in his pomp, but his brilliance cannot be argued with.
