The swan diver has got the hump.
Chris Ashton has every reason to feel aggrieved he will not be at the World Cup.
The Saracens man is one of the most lethal wingers in European rugby and has 19 tries in 39 Tests. In five world cup games [in 2011], he scored six tries.
And yet his exclusion from England’s 2015 World Cup was not too big a shock.
Ashton has been out of favour with Stuart Lancaster since late last year and the head coach has settled on Anthony Watson, who scored against Ireland on Saturday, as his No.14.
However, it is not Watson that Ashton has taken issue with.
Ashton, who himself was a rugby league convert, is not best pleased that Sam Burgess made the World Cup squad after just one Test appearance.
He notes that Burgess has big game experience and has ‘an aura’ about him but questions whether he has had enough time playing at inside centre in union.
‘He can do what we’ve seen him do against France the other day,’ Ashton says. ‘He’ll smash people and he’ll run all day.
‘But it’s so different to knowing, without having to think, about your job in the team. It’s so different to smashing someone when they run at you.
‘He needs to be in the right places and get his hands on the ball at the right time. That’s not something I’m convinced he’s had enough time to do just yet.
‘I definitely think he will be an England player, forwards or backs. I’m just not sure on what time scale.’
[Hat-tip: The Daily Telegraph]
