Ashton challenges Balshaw: Prove me wrong

By PETER JACKSON

Last updated at 21:31 07 March 2008

England coach Brian Ashton challenged Iain Balshaw to

prove he was wrong to leave him

out of the team in the first place.

Balshaw was dropped on Tuesday

but reinstated 48 hours later after

Danny Cipriani had been pictured

leaving a nightclub. Now Ashton

wants Balshaw to turn his Six

Nations reprieve into a personal

triumph against Scotland at Murrayfield.

Ashton said: 'Iain will

be looking at this as a remarkable

opportunity to prove that what I

did by leaving him out was wrong.

I hope he can turn round to me

after the match, stick two fingers

at me and say it was the wrong

decision. In some people's eyes

that would be two I have made this week.'

Balshaw, whose

fallibility under the high ball led to

Ashton replacing him, faces

another test with the Met Office

forecasting heavy rain before

kick-off and high winds gusting up

to 40mph.

A substitute left wing when

England were blown off course in

an Arctic squall at Murrayfield in the 2000 Grand Slam

decider, he will at least

have an idea what to

expect.

How he responds to

England's title hopes

being put in his hands

will also determine the

post-match fall-out

over the Cipriani

controversy.

Ashton, under fire from

senior figures at the

player's club, Wasps,

refused to say whether

the 20-year-old had

been involved in any

other disciplinary issues

with England.

'I don't think I am a

draconian sort of coach,

despite what people

have said in the last 24

hours,' he said. 'His

behaviour almost 48

hours before a Test was

inappropriate. It was

my decision and mine

alone. I respect

everyone's opinion. It

just happens that I am

the man in charge.

'There is no set curfew

during Test weeks but

there is a code of

conduct. I am not going

to go into that because

it's a confidential

matter for the players. I

am comfortable with

what I said to Danny. He

will be back in camp on

Monday and this will

have no bearing on

team selection.'

Wasps rugby director

Ian McGeechan took

the unusual step of

criticising Ashton's

decision publicly as

'very harsh'.

Ashton said: 'I understand his

position and respect his

point of view. I

explained my thoughts

and that was it. Ian has

his job to do, and I have

my job to do.'

RFU director of elite

rugby Rob Andrew said:

'I am fully supportive of

the decision. There are

certain issues Brian feels

very strongly about.'