Try-scoring 101 from Chris Ashton. English rugby’s most prolific finisher cemented his status as the Premiership’s greatest try-scorer by becoming the first player in the history of the competition to reach 100 tries, running in a hat-trick in Leicester’s dominant win against Exeter.
Ashton, who announced last week that he will retire at the end of the season, began the match on 98 but the 36-year-old gave another lesson in the art of poaching, racing to three figures before adding his third on the day and his 101st in total.
His cause was helped by three yellow cards to Exeter – two for Olly Woodburn, which meant a red for the Chiefs wing – but here was a reminder of just how deadly Ashton remains. He might have had a couple more had the ball bounced his way in the first half but with Danny Care, his closest active rival, 18 tries behind, Ashton’s record is set to stand for some time to come. It is some feat for the cross-code convert, who moved to Northampton in 2007 and has rarely stopped scoring since.
“I’m sure there will be many players who get past it but to be the one to get 100 first is the milestone I will remember,” Ashton said. “There will never be another person who gets to 100 first.”
Ashton’s were three of nine tries for Leicester, who have now all but confirmed their place in the playoffs. They were caused problems by Exeter in the first half but the champions are timing their end-of-season run formidably with a run of six successive Premiership victories. Ashton deserves the limelight but his fellow wing Anthony Watson was lively throughout, Dan Kelly excellent at centre and George Martin a colossal force at lock.
Exeter, meanwhile, were done for after Woodburn’s second yellow card for diving on Ashton on the floor as the tryline beckoned. Henry Slade and Jack Nowell, both of whom were absent from a much-changed Exeter side, voiced their astonishment at the decision on social media but Rob Baxter had no complaints – nor with the two first-half yellow cards for deliberate knock-ons.
“He’s only doing the only thing he can do which is try and drive the guy off the field,” the Exeter director of rugby said. “But if you listen to the officials working through it I can see why they’ve come to a second yellow which then becomes a red card.”
Leicester were two tries up within the first 10 minutes, Kelly pouncing on Handré Pollard’s grubber which eluded the ever-alert Ashton for the first. Ashton had a hand in the second, too, receiving Jack van Poortvliet’s pass and measuring his grubber perfectly for the scrum-half to score. Exeter’s response was impressive, however, and Sam Simmonds ran a blistering line for his 59th Premiership try, matching Neil Back’s record for a forward, before Stuart Hogg added a second.
Woodburn returned but on the stroke of half-time Rory O’Loughlin – an early replacement for the injured Solomone Kata – was sent to the sin‑bin for another deliberate knock‑on. Leicester kicked to the corner and Ashton had try No 99 after Watson’s clever grubber kick. Three minutes into the second half Ashton was ready to raise his bat after squeezing over, again in the right‑hand corner. Replays showed that his left foot brushed the touchline just before the act of scoring, however, but Woodburn was adjudged to have dived on Ashton on the floor. A second yellow card was the upshot for the unfortunate Woodburn, a penalty try for Leicester.
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Ashton did not have to wait long to mark the milestone. A strong carry from Kelly put the Tigers on the front foot and Pollard fizzed a pass to Ashton, lurking on the left. It needed finishing but Ashton is lethal from that sort of position.
Martin then got the try his performance deserved before Matt Scott got in on the act. Ashton was not done yet, however, and went over on the right with try No 101 before hopping over the advertising hoardings and into the stand, taking his seat and applauding. It was a celebration that Felipe Contepomi made famous in his Bristol days – fitting then that the Argentinian was present in the crowd. Scott juggled his way to a second of the afternoon before a consolation score for Exeter’s Rus Tuima but the day belonged to Ashton.
“I thought about parking the car out the back and that was me never to be seen again,” he said. “I didn’t think [Richard Wigglesworth] would take too kindly to that so I took the other option of just getting in the crowd. I didn’t have any room for a splash so I thought that was second best.”
