Martin Johnson Era has Begun.

[stormmaster1]

<div class='quotemain'>well in order to satisfy mite's criteria i reckon you have to put farrell and paul in the centres and vainikolo on the wing because of course being good at RL means everything... [/b]

Yeah, because a player who's just as good as a young Jason Robinson is worth nothing, we are talking about a fast winger, not an over-rated panface, Henry "lol" Paul or a poor mans Lomu. Now STFU.

<div class='quotemain'>
<div class='quotemain'>reads Mite's post, see's Ashton, scoffs at a guy who's never even played premiership rugby and the obvious Saints bias clouding things... [/b]

Remove Saints Bias as I have been thinking he'd be cracking for England since he was rumoured to be signing for Leicester.

Then see his Super League and England RL record and add a dash of f*** you.
[/b][/quote]
How good do you think Ashton will be in the premiership and how far do you think he can go in regards to internationals? [/b][/quote]

Top scorer next season, no problem.
[/b][/quote]



can't see him as top scorer. Currently Varndell is top scorer in premiership. Not because he is the best winger (even i'm not that one-eyed) but because he is a good finisher who has had lots of scoring opportunities. Even assuming Ashton is better than Varndell, will he get the same amount of scoring opportunities as Varndell, Simpson-Daniel or Sackey for example. I suspect the newly promoted Saints won't be able to provide him with enough chances.

 

[Bullitt]

Varndell is a sniper, the one (only) good thing about him is his pace allows him to get to those spots where tries can be handed to him on a platter. That said, if a prop had been in his position to receive the ball, his tally for this season could have been cut down to a quarter and Leicester still would have taken the 5 every time - The only try of note by him I genuinely applaud was that somewhat stunning effort against Quins on the last day.

Ashton on the other hand is just as quick (if not slightly faster), with the added bonuses of being able to catch, pass, defend (normally in a legal fashion) and spot a gap. His tactical kicking is also surprisingly good.

Also, I don't care what league you're in or who you're up against, 40 tries in less then 30 games (when your also still learning the game and are barely out of your teens) is nothing short of spectacular.

 

[Prestwick]

Especially if you're playing Esher, pride of Surrey.

 

[stormmaster1]

Varndell is a sniper, the one (only) good thing about him is his pace allows him to get to those spots where tries can be handed to him on a platter. That said, if a prop had been in his position to receive the ball, his tally for this season could have been cut down to a quarter and Leicester still would have taken the 5 every time - The only try of note by him I genuinely applaud was that somewhat stunning effort against Quins on the last day.

Ashton on the other hand is just as quick (if not slightly faster), with the added bonuses of being able to catch, pass, defend (normally in a legal fashion) and spot a gap. His tactical kicking is also surprisingly good.

Also, I don't care what league you're in or who you're up against, 40 tries in less then 30 games (when your also still learning the game and are barely out of your teens) is nothing short of spectacular. [/b]

So he is a better player than Varndell. Fair enough. But any winger's try scoring tally is hugely dependant on the other 14 blokes on the pitch making opportunities. on that basis i can't see a newly promoted saints providing as many chances for him. Whether he is the best winger in the world or not would not make much difference, it's down to the team.