England wing Chris Ashton is back in training after being attacked with a glass on Saturday night.
Ashton and his girlfriend were out celebrating the fifth anniversary of their first meeting alongside a number of the 25-year-old’s Saracens team-mates when the attack happened in a London bar.
“Several Saracens players, together with their wives and girlfriends, were enjoying a quiet evening when an uninvited stranger approached the group,” read a statement from Saracens.
“A brief altercation occurred, which resulted in a friend of this stranger attacking Chris Ashton with a glass.
“The Saracens winger suffered two minor cuts on the left side of his face, but neither required stitches.”
There is no suggestion that the former rugby league star had been acting inappropriately and both Saracens and the Rugby Football Union have given the player their full backing.
“England have looked into the incident and consider the matter closed,” said an RFU spokesman after Ashton spoke to England head coach Stuart Lancaster to explain the situation.
“It is a reality that well-known sports people are provoked by strangers and subsequent events are instantly tweeted,” added Saracens CEO Edward Griffiths.
“People will inevitably see this story and say an England rugby player is in trouble again.
“For clarity, Chris Ashton is not in trouble at all. On the contrary, he was celebrating an anniversary with his girlfriend and showed admirable restraint.”
