Ewan Ashman on being a Scotland fan in England, World Cup goal and Edinburgh move

Ewan Ashman during a Scotland training session at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, ahead of the France match. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

He may have been born in Canada and brought up in England but there was only ever one team for Ewan Ashman and they play in dark blue.

The hooker, who will make his second start for Scotland in Saturday’s World Cup warm-up against France, has his father Jonathan to thank for steering him on the right path. It’s not always been smooth. Ashman remembers being in tears watching the agonising World Cup quarter-final exit in 2015 and almost getting into a scrap when Jonathan Joseph tore Scotland apart in the Calcutta Cup two years later. But his loyalty never wavered, as born out by the large thistle tattooed on his right forearm and a number in Roman numerals denoting him as the 1125th men’s Scotland international.

His family and girlfriend Caitlin will be at Murrayfield this afternoon as Ashman looks to convince Gregor Townsend he should be part of the World Cup squad. The coach has selected a strong side to face France, close to his strongest, and if it goes well you would expect to see a similar line-up against South Africa in Scotland’s Pool B opener in Marseille on September 10. For Ashman, who will be between experienced props Pierre Schoeman and Zander Fagerson, it’s a case of trying to win the match first and foremost while doing enough to show he should be on the plane to France. “The whole team is preparing for the World Cup but for individuals it’s about trying to put your best foot forward to get into that starting team,” he said. “I’m just glad to have that opportunity because the competition is fierce for every position now with the depth we have. You have to view every game as an opportunity to try and get on that plane.”

Townsend selected four hookers in his training group of 41 and the suspicion is that only three will make the cut when he trims his squad to 33 for the tournament itself. At 23, Ashman is the youngest of the quartet but what he lacks in caps he makes up for with speed, carrying ability and an eye for a try. He is vying in his position with George Turner, Stuart McInally and David Cherry and received plaudits this week from Townsend for his progress since his dramatic try-scoring debut off the bench in the win over Australia in 2021.

“He’s getting an opportunity with a very strong team alongside him and I feel he has the attributes to start for us and certainly be in the World Cup squad,” said the coach. “He was involved in the last game of the Six Nations against Italy, he has played some big games, with his first game against Australia and then in the third Test in Argentina he was outstanding. With Sale, in the last two months of the season, we saw him in his best form. He’s one of our quickest, most powerful carriers.”

Ashman scored two tries on his previous Scotland start, against Argentina last summer, and was also top try-scorer with seven at the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2019, quite a feat given the young Scots lost all five games. It’s a handy knack to have but he knows that the set-piece is his priority. “As a hooker you have to lead at the scrum and perform at the lineout, so that comes first. And then the rest of my game - the enjoyable stuff that I look to do - is something else that I like to bring to the position.”

Ashman thinks France – who Scotland will also play next weekend in Saint-Etienne – are the perfect dress rehearsal for the World Cup pool matches against South Africa and Ireland, even if Fabien Galthie has experimented with selection for the Murrayfield match. “France are an all-star team still and it shows the depth that they have,” said the hooker. “They’re going to be hugely physical and that should prepare us for Ireland and South Africa as we want. It is going to be confrontational and physical. They pride themselves on their maul and they’re a huge team just like South Africa, so it’s going to be a hugely challenging game. It’s the perfect opportunity to prepare for the World Cup.”

The tournament stirs up mixed emotions for Ashman who says the last time he cried was after Scotland’s 2015 World Cup defeat by Australia. “I remember watching it with my old man in the living room,” he said. “That was a sore one.” It wasn’t always easy being a Scotland fan in England as he found to his cost a couple of years later. “I was living in Sandbach, just south of Manchester. I got some amount of stick at school. I remember watching the 2017 Calcutta Cup game round at my mate’s house when Jonathan Joseph scored a hat-trick for England. I was nearly scrapping them in the living room!”

Ewan Ashman scores his spectacular debut try for Scotland against Australia at Murrayfield, in Novermber 2021. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

Older and wiser now, Ashman’s progress has been impressively swift. Last season at Sale Sharks he was part of the squad which made it through to the Premiership final at Twickenham where Saracens proved too strong. It was his last game for Sale ahead of his move to Edinburgh. “I was always keen to come to Edinburgh,” he said. “When I was younger, me and my dad spent most of our weekends up here, at Edinburgh and Scotland games. I’ve always had a soft spot for the club and my dad will be up every weekend now with his season ticket. It was a tough decision but something that I have wanted to do for a little while. Being at the heart of Scottish rugby was a big thing for me as well. I want to play for Edinburgh, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t also wanting to get as many caps as I can for Scotland. That’s a huge motivator for me.”

Scotland v France (Murrayfield, Saturday, 3.15pm. TV: Prime Video)

Scotland: B Kinghorn; D Graham, H Jones, S Tuipulotu, D van der Merwe; F Russell (c), B White; P Schoeman, E Ashman, Z Fagerson, R Gray, G Gilchrist, M Fagerson, H Watson, J Dempsey. Replacements: D Cherry, J Bhatti, WP Nel, S Cummings, R Darge, G Horne, C Redpath, O Smith.

France: B Dulin (c); L Bielle-Biarrey, E Gailleton, Y Moefana, E Dumortier; M Jalibert, B Couilloud; J-B Gros, P Bourgarit, D Bamba, C Woki, B Chalureau, P Boudehent, S Macalou, Y Tanga. Replacements: P Mauvaka, R Wardi, S Falatea, P Willemse, D Cretin, B Serin, A Hastoy, A Vincent.

Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZ).