England made a very surprising decision as they opted to name Chris Ashton in place of Jack Nowell for their Guinness Six Nation’s clash against France.
Nowell impressed during his sides 32-20 win against Ireland but loses his spot.
“We have gone for Chris Ashton on the wing because we think he might sneak us a try early in the game,” head coach Eddie Jones said.
“We’ve just got a gut feeling he’ll be right for the start and Jack will be right for the end.
“Jack was absolutely outstanding for us against Ireland, absolutely outstanding, so it’s just a different role for him this time.
“He’s got a great work-rate and can fill a number of positions. At the end of the game that work-rate is going to be important.”
Ashton will be familiar to many of the French players after having spent a season with Toulon. During that season, he set a Top 14 try-scoring record after having recorded 24 touch downs.
