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ASHTON TO DO IT HIS WAY
By Andrew Baldock, PA Sport Rugby Union Correspondent
For someone who took his team to the Rugby World Cup final, it seems ridiculous even to suggest Brian Ashton has not made his mark as England head coach.
Ashton, though, would probably agree.
The 2007 rugby year proved an unforgettable rollercoaster ride from England's perspective.
Three home wins in the RBS 6 Nations Championship, a crushing defeat against Ireland at Croke Park and two summer tour roastings from South Africa gave Ashton a fierce introduction to life as the boss.
Then came the World Cup.
Quite how England managed one of the sport's great transformations will remain a hot topic for many months to come.
Was it Ashton? Was it player power generated by the squad's senior personnel?
Perhaps we will never know, but 36 days after England were battered 36-0 by South Africa at Stade de France, they reappeared at the same ground against the same opponents to contest the World Cup final.
In the immediate aftermath of that pool stage drubbing by the Springboks, England did not look capable of beating a drum, let alone progressing into the knockout stages.
But Ashton, his coaching staff and the players dug deep as victories over Samoa and Tonga guaranteed a quarter-final place, before Australia and then host nation France were sent packing.
The final, perhaps inevitably, proved something of an anti-climax, with England losing 15-6 in a dour contest perhaps only notable for wing Mark Cueto's hotly-contested disallowed try.
For Ashton, the real work is about to begin.
When he arrived in the hotseat some 13 months ago, England had drifted off the radar as a world force.
Ashton's predecessor Andy Robinson endured a difficult, frequently depressing reign that reached a painful conclusion during the autumn of 2006 which produced home defeats against New Zealand, South Africa and, for the first time, Argentina.
England had lost confidence, composure and a knowledge of how to win Test matches, leaving former schoolteacher Ashton with a huge task just to make them competitive at the World Cup some 10 months later.
Such was England's hectic 2007 schedule, he did not really have time to stop and think.
There were some welcome bonuses along the way - notably Jonny Wilkinson's long-awaited return from a catalogue of injury troubles - but by and large, it proved a rapid journey from Test match to tour, World Cup training camp, warm-up games then the tournament itself.
Now the dust has finally settled on the World Cup campaign, Ashton can start planning with time on his side.
Appointed "indefinitely" by the Rugby Football Union - that can be interpreted as a four-year contract to incorporate the 2011 World Cup - Ashton has already started shaping England's future.
The presence of dynamic talent like Danny Cipriani, Luke Narraway, Tom Croft and James Haskell in his 32-man Six Nations squad is a firm pointer towards 2011, and
a glance at the England Saxons - formerly England A - squad suggests even greater cause for excitement.
Who is to say that, well before 2011, the likes of Chris Ashton, Ryan Lamb, Dylan Hartley or Nick Kennedy will not be seen in senior England colours?
Ashton, though, is no fool.
He will not allow himself to be swept away by romanticism. He knows there has to be a fair degree of pragmatism along the way.
Ashton has lost retired quartet Lawrence Dallaglio, Jason Robinson, Mike Catt and Martin Corry, but experience will not be lacking given that 20 of England's original 30-man World Cup squad will report for Six Nations preparations.
And what of Lesley Vainikolo, the Tonga-born former New Zealand rugby league international who has qualified for England on residency?
Ashton, a huge league fan, has rushed Vainikolo into his first England squad of 2008, and expect the 28-year-old to leave a considerable mark on the Six Nations, maybe as an ultimate "impact" substitute.
Recent Six Nations history does not make good reading for England.
They have won just 10 of their last 20 Six Nations Tests, and not landed the title since 2003 when a magnificent Grand Slam was achieved by routing Ireland in Dublin.
But this time around England have the appearance of serious Six Nations challengers, and if they start strongly, then their momentum might prove irresistible.
But above all, they will do things in a slightly different way this year - Ashton's way.
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