In the 2011 RBS 6 Nations Championship Chris Ashton became the first player of any nation to score four tries in a Six Nations match since the competition expanded in 2000.

He also became the first England player to have scored four tries in a Six Nations, Five Nations, or Home Nations match since Ronald Poulton-Palmer scored four against France in 1914. His six tries in the tournament equalled the single-season record in the Six Nations era, shared by Will Greenwood of England and Shane Williams of Wales