Chris Ashton signs for Leicester on short-term deal

Former England winger Chris Ashton has signed a short-term deal with Leicester Tigers.

The Tigers are Ashton’s sixth Premiership club as he has previously played for Northampton Saints, Saracens, Sale Sharks, Harlequins and Worcester Warriors. He most recently played for Worcester, only making four appearances before being released by mutual consent in December.

Leicester are currently top of the Premiership and head coach Steve Borthwick previously worked with Ashton at Saracens.

“Chris is a driven, professional and competitive character, who brings a wealth of experience to our squad,” Borthwick said. “As well as being one of the game’s best-ever finishers, Chris is also a winner and still very much has that desire to be successful.”

Ashton has scored 80 Premiership tries – the third best tally in history – and is the leading try-scorer in the European Champions Cup with 40. He aims to pass on his experience to Leicester’s younger players.

“The opportunity to join this group, under Steve Borthwick, and be part of what is being built here was one that I couldn’t ignore. It is a pretty young group and I feel like I can certainly pass on my own experiences.

“Steve has been very clear with me on his expectations of anyone coming into this environment. I am excited for the chance to learn, improve and hopefully contribute to the club on and off the field.”

Ashton started his union career at Northampton in 2007 having previously played league for Wigan, then left the club to join Saracens in 2012. After a successful spell there, winning two Premiership titles and a Championship Cup trophy, he joined Toulon for the 2017-18 season, where he broke the Top 14 try-scoring record.

He then joined Sale before leaving the club by mutual consent in March 2020, when he signed for Harlequins. Less than a year later he was given an early release from his contract at the club and joined Worcester in January 2021 before leaving at the end of the year.

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