Brian Ashton
Brian Ashton was born in Leigh, England, United Kingdom on September 3rd, 1946 and is the Rugby Coach. At the age of 77, Brian Ashton biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
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William Brian Ashton MBE (born 3 September 1946) is an English rugby union coach and former player.
He has been head coach of the England and Ireland national teams.
Coaching career
Ashton joined Leigh College 1980-81, making the team into a mighty squad that screamed the ball at speed due to a lack of size in the pack. He was persuaded in 1981 to accept the position of history teacher and rugby master by then assistant-bursar Dick Greenwood at Stonyhurst College, where Kyran Bracken was a student at the time and to whom he taught history. Ray French, one of his local teaching colleagues, was included.
In 1985, Ashton first met Jack Rowell as assistant coach with England A. Ashton was accepted as a backs coach at Bath University, then heading to teach history and coach various sports at King's School, Bruton, Somerset, where his wife worked as a tutor.
He began Bath as England's most consistent squad from a decade to the mid-1990s, under Jack Rowell. He took over as head coach from Rowell in 1994 and led Bath to their final domestic title in 1996.
Ashton served as Ireland's National Coach from 1997 to 1998, but that was brief and ineffective. He had been granted a six-year contract by the IRFU but resigned 12 months later, facing a backdrop where allegations or disagreements with team leader Pat Whelan were widely broadcast in public.
Ashton served as England's assistant from 1998 to 2002, and as the RFU's National Academy Manager from 2002 to 2005. Ashton was instrumental in the introduction of England Rugby's National Academy system, establishing the Junior and Senior National Academies to produce the most talented players at England A, Sevens, Under 21 and Under 19 levels. Ashton has also coached some of these feeder teams, including England A.
Ashton was named as head coach in Bath at the start of 2006, but as part of England attack coach Andy Robinson, forwards' coach John Wells, and defense coach Mike Ford, the team was back to Bath as head coach from May 2006.
Robinson was fired in December 2006, and Ashton was appointed England head coach. Phil Vickery was selected as his captain by him. Ashton was in command of the England team for two games, firstly the Calcutta Cup tie against Scotland and secondly beating Italy at Twickenham, but the English team lost a humiliating loss to the Irish National Team on his third outing. In the 132 years of competition between the two teams, Ireland's 43–13 loss was England's worst ever loss by Ireland.
England's 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign got off to a rocky start: the team barely beat the United States' amateurs and then lost 36–0 to South Africa. However, they won a very close semi-final against France 14–9 and lost a close final to South Africa 15–6 after finishing their group as runners up. Despite criticism of his leadership, Ashton was reappointed as the head of England with an indefinite length deal on December 20, 2007.
England finished second in the 2008 Six Nations Championships, losing games to Wales and Scotland. Martin Johnson was named England team manager on April 16, 2008, with Ashton stepping in immediately. Ashton was given the opportunity to lead the RFU's National Academy but decided against it.
In the 2008 New Year Honours, he was elected a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
In September 2008, he was promoted to director of teaching at the University of Bath and also helped Oxford University defeat Oxford University in the 2008 Varsity tournament.
Ashton returned to his hometown Fylde in June 2010 to serve as a coaching consultant to the senior team. He said he is eager to help Coach Mark Nelson with the training of Fylde's senior team. Fylde won National League 2 North 10/11 and Ashton was signed as Technical Director by Fylde for the 2011/12 season.
"My greatest strength is as a coach," Ashton has said before. I see myself improving players individually, to do the scientific work with them, and then setting the scene, the framework in which the players operate." Ashton's belief is that the backs feature three creative forces (the scrum-half, the fly-half, and the inside-centre) and four penetrative finishers (the outside-centre, the two wings, and the full-back).