Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder believes Chris Ashton warrants an England call after the wing bagged a double in the Saints' Heineken Cup triumph against Treviso.
The 22-year-old crossed twice in seven second-half minutes as Northampton came back from a 13-3 deficit to win 30-18 at Franklin's Gardens.
Ashton has now scored 13 tries in 14 games this season and Mallinder believes the rugby league convert has all the attributes to force his way in to England coach Martin Johnson's RBS 6 Nations squad next year.
"Chris is a fine player and he is improving all the time - but it is up to Martin Johnson to decide when he wants to pick him," said Mallinder.
"He is a great finisher, a real poacher who always seems to be in the right position at the right time and he cannot stop scoring tries and that is great for the team.
"I think it is something they learn in rugby league - when to pop up and do the business and long may it continue."
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Cardiff Blues boss Dai Young believes Wales coach Warren Gatland should only be looking in one direction for a replacement for crocked hooker Matthew Rees - Gareth Williams.
Williams was the star of the show as the Blues edged out French giants Toulouse 15-9 in a tense Heineken Cup encounter in Cardiff over the weekend.
British & Irish Lions star Rees is looking at a lengthy spell on the treatment table but Gatland is known to prefer bigger hookers like Rees and Huw Bennett.
However Blues coach Young insists Gatland should be giving the nod to his in-form front row ahead of next season's RBS 6 Nations.
"He was outstanding last season and he has been outstanding this season," said Young.
"I was really disappointed he did not get anywhere near the international squad for the autumn series.
"He has been the form hooker in Welsh rugby for about 12 months."
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Jamie Roberts has been given a chance to avenge Wales' defeat by New Zealand last month after being selected at inside centre by the Barbarians.
The Baa-Baas face the All Blacks, who prevailed 19-12 at the Millennium Stadium, at Twickenham on Saturday in their now traditional end of autumn fixture.
British & Irish Lions star Roberts is picked alongside fellow Welsh internationals Andy Powell and Leigh Halfpenny, who feature among the replacements.
Springbok lock Victor Matfield will captain a side containing 925 caps, heading a seven-strong South African contingent that includes the uncapped WP Nel.
Bryan Habana starts on the left wing while All Black Joe Rokocoko has been handed the number 14 jersey against his national team-mates.
Australia supply four players to the starting line-up, including skipper Rocky Elsom and fly-half Matt Giteau.
Barbarians coach Nick Mallett said: "We have the benefit of a full week together ahead of the match.
"Knowing the talent that has been assembled among the 22 players, we expect to be very competitive and give the All Blacks and the Twickenham crowd a real taste of Barbarian rugby at its best."
Barbarians: D Mitchell (Australia); J Rokocoko (New Zealand), J Fourie (South Africa), J Roberts (Wales), B Habana (South Africa); M Giteau (Australia), F du Preez (South Africa); S Perugini (Italy), B du Plessis (South Africa), W P Nel (uncapped), C del Fava (Italy), V Matfield (South Africa, captain), R Elsom (Australia), S Burger (South Africa), G Smith (Australia).
Replacements: S Moore (Australia), T Mtawarira (South Africa), Q Geldenhuys (Italy), A Powell (Wales), W Genia (Australia), M Steyn (South Africa), L Halfpenny (Wales).
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Dan Biggar out-kicked Ronan O'Gara as the Ospreys enjoyed a famous 19-14 Magners League victory over a strong Munster outfit at the Liberty Stadium.
O'Gara, standing in as skipper for the injured Paul O'Connell, missed four penalties while his 20-year-old opposite number scored 14 of his side's points.
In steady rain it was sweet revenge for the Ospreys who had conceded more than 100 points to Munster in three defeats last season, and the win ended a four-match losing streak.
Munster were forced into a late and significant change to their line-up when O'Connell pulled out with a calf strain.
The Ospreys were also without their captain Ryan Jones, who had not recovered from the back problem which ruled him out of Wales' defeat to Australia.
O'Gara missed two early shots at goal but Munster were awarded a penalty try from a scrum much and O'Gara converted in front of the posts on 13 minutes.
The Ospreys, with their first concerted attack, got on the scoreboard with a Biggar penalty from in front of the posts.
But two minutes later they lost Alun Wyn Jones to the sin bin for a professional foul, although O'Gara could not convert the penalty.
Biggar also saw a long-range effort rebound off the crossbar before he kicked a 38th-minute penalty to get the Ospreys within a point, to make it 7-6 at the interval.
The Ospreys made a dramatic start to the second half when Tommy Bowe went in at the right corner for a converted try after good work from Gareth Owen and Biggar.
And their second attack of the half saw them have a chance to go further ahead after Munster hooker John Fogarty was sin-binned for a professional foul, but Biggar was wide with his penalty shot.
The Ospreys thought they had scored a second try but Paul James lost the ball over the line. However, they made do with a 57th-minute Biggar drop-goal as they extended their lead to 16-7.
Fortune was certainly the Ospreys as they watched O'Gara miss his fourth penalty attempt after 60 minutes.
Biggar then planted his third penalty from the halfway line as the home lead went to 12 before Munster number eight James Coughlin was yellow-carded for kicking the ball away.
Munster kept scrapping and replacement Nick Williams claimed an injury-time try.
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Winger Leigh Halfpenny says the burning disappointment of their November international results can spur Wales to Six Nations glory.
Warren Gatland's men end 2009 on a low note after conceding four tries to Australia in their 33-12 defeat at the Millennium Stadium, where the All Blacks also triumphed in the autumn.
But despite critics accusing Wales of going backwards over the last 12 months, Halfpenny maintains they have made progress under Gatland.
He said: "Wales are going in the right direction and we're moving towards being up there with the top three teams in the world.
"We were very disappointed with our performance against Australia in the last game. We felt as though we pushed New Zealand all the way and we were disappointed that we didn't nail that game.
"The fact we felt we could have got a victory and to be saying that means we are moving in the right direction.
"After the Australia game Warren and Shaun Edwards told us that they never want to feel the same disappointment again.
"It's really exciting at the moment and I'm really looking forward to the Six Nations coming up. We will be going all out to regain that title from Ireland."
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Former England boss Brian Ashton has called on coaches to stop using the breakdown as an excuse for the turgid rugby being produced this autumn and start trusting their players to produce the goods.
The home nations could only muster two tries in seven matches against Tri-Nations opposition over the autumn series, while the try-count in the Guinness Premiership is also down on last year; leading to a raft of coaches blaming the tackle area for the lack of excitement.
The RFU's hopes of revising the regulations governing the tackle area were dashed when the IRB promised only a review rather than law changes ahead of the 2011 World Cup last Tuesday.
But former England coach Ashton, who is known as one of the game's sharpest thinkers, believes it is time people start taking responsibility for the entertainment standards rather than pointing the finger of blame at the lawmakers.
He said: "Australia and New Zealand showed it is still possible to play attractive rugby despite the so-called prohibitive laws of the game.
"It is a strange one to be honest, because you had two international games at the end of the autumn where the All Blacks and Australia scored nine tries as the away side.
"That shows there is nothing much wrong with the laws. You have some people who are finding ways to adapt and others who are hiding behind the issue.
"There is this negative mindset that has invaded countries in terms of the tackle area.
"There seems to be a fear element at the breakdown whether that is fear of losing the game, losing points or losing possession.
"The breakdown is the most contentious area in rugby and it is always going to be unless you make it like rugby league. Instead of moaning about it, they just need the right mindset and the right level of intelligence.
"For example the Currie Cup final was a terrific game of rugby played under exactly the same laws that we have in the north but you would not have thought that from watching the game. It comes down to how the coaches and players interpret the laws and the need to be brave."
At the heart of both Australia and New Zealand's attacking play have been fly-halves Matt Giteau and Dan Carter.
And Ashton believes it is no coincidence that they are trusted by their coaches to call the shots on the pitch according to what they see in front of them.
In stark contrast, the northern hemisphere's creative players seemed enveloped by a tactical straightjacket illustrated by England's insistence on sending on coaches to advice players during 'water breaks'.
"I think the two outstanding players have been Matt Giteau and Dan Carter and both those players rely on their game intelligence rather than playing rugby by numbers," added Ashton.
"I did some work with Graham Henry at a coaching seminar last February and I asked him what is it that gives Carter that special quality?
"Graham simply said he is my coach on the field. That is a very brave decision by a coach when you say to a player this is how we want you to play but when you are out there play it how you see it.
"You can't control the game from the stands: players are the ones that play the game and they are the only ones that set foot on the field.
"I would regard it as a complete insult if you had players constantly being bombarded by instructions once they are playing - they need to be left to figure things out themselves."
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Sale director of rugby Kingsley Jones has captured the extended signatures of Welsh duo Lee Thomas and Nick Macleod.
Thomas and Macleod have both signed new two-year deals following hard on the heels of England star Mark Cueto who penned a new four year deal a fortnight ago.
The pair both arrived at Sale from Cardiff Blues, inside centre Thomas originally joining in 2006, with full-back Macleod following suit two years later and at 25 and 26 respectively, the duo's best years are still ahead of them
"It is great news for everyone at the club that Nick and Lee have committed to the club until July 2012," said Jones.
"It shows the intention from both the players and the club. We've said all along we are working on a long-term plan here and we want to invest.
"With the likes of Dean Schofield, Mark Cueto and now Lee you are talking about building the spine of the team.
"And, for his part, Nick has just got better and better in the time he has been here. He's a good man, he works hard and to have him on board for another two years is excellent."
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