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.

Ashton said: “We know what the enormity of the challenge is — we’ve been told that enough in the press. I think one paper called the squad a team of part-timers, plumbers and decorators.

“The very fact we are playing South Africa means it will be a physical contest. We’ve just got to accept that and confront it, and find a way around it as well.

“Training has been fairly competitive. Even today, when it was meant to be non-contact, it became a pretty physical effort.

“It’s been competitive because every position was up for grabs when we set out, apart from the captain’s.”

Full-back Brown, 21, only made his first team bow for Harlequins last season, but along with Gloucester prop Wood and Sale Sharks lock Schofield, he is rewarded for an impressive campaign with his club.

Bristol hooker Regan, meanwhile, will pack down in the front-row with his fellow 35-year-old, Sale prop Stuart Turner, as Regan makes a first Test appearance since the 51-15 defeat against Australia in Brisbane almost three years ago.

There are just three survivors from England’s last game, the RBS 6 Nations Championship defeat against Wales in Cardiff on March 17 — skipper Robinson, his fellow wing David Strettle and centre Mathew Tait.

ENGLAND (v. South Africa, Bloemfontein, Saturday): M Brown (Harlequins); D Strettle (Harlequins), M Tait (Newcastle), A Farrell (Saracens), J Robinson (Sale Sharks, capt); J Wlkinson (Newcastle), P Richards (Gloucester); N Wood (Gloucester), M Regan (Bristol) S Turner (Sale), D Schofield (Sale), A Brown (Gloucester), C Jones (Sale), A Hazell (Gloucester), N Easter (Harlequins).

Replacements: M Cairns (Saracens), D Crompton (Bristol), R Winters (Bristol), P Sanderson (Worcester), A Gomarsall (Harlequins), T Flood (Newcastle), I Balshaw (Gloucester).