Ashton ready to get physical for Springboks mission impossible

ENGLAND boss Brian Ashton has backed his squad of “part-timers, plumbers and decorators” to tackle a job their critics believe is mission impossible — challenging the Springboks in South Africa.

South African newspapers have already waded into Ashton’s tourists — a 30-man party minus players from European finalists Leicester, Wasps or Bath — ahead of the two Test series in Bloemfontein and Pretoria.

The inexperienced feel is reflected by Ashton’s first Test line-up, which contains three newcomers in Mike Brown, Nick Wood and Dean Schofield, and has just 172 caps in total, with World Cup winners Jason Robinson, Jonny Wilkinson and Mark Regan sharing 131 of those.