Racking up the points is suddenly everyone’s priority in the final week of the Six Nations, but the sharpest finisher in this year’s tournament will be wearing white. Jonathan Joseph has so far registered as many tries – four times in four games – as the Wales squad combined, and already has France worried before a ball is kicked at Twickenham.
It is only two months since Joseph, along with his Bath team-mates, ran Toulouse ragged at the Stade Ernest‑Wallon in a 35-18 European Cup pool win, the centre touching down once and creating a spectacular try for the South African flanker Francois Louw. England will not play it as fast and loose on Saturday but their attacking skills coach Mike Catt agrees the interplay of Joseph and George Ford has been a highlight of the national team’s season so far.
“George and JJ have a massive understanding,” said Catt, who spent long enough at Bath alongside Jeremy Guscott to know what a decent outside-centre looks like. “With Jonathan Joseph it’s not about quick feet ... he understands the game. He’s a very good communicator and the thing I really like is he’s got a very low error rate at international level. Both he and George see the game and make the right decisions based on what’s in front of them. That’s what it’s all about.”
Given Joseph had not played Test rugby since 2013 and had won only six caps before this championship, his emergence as a vital cog in Stuart Lancaster’s midfield has been a major bonus for England.
Catt is working with a far more confident athlete – “The difference is his belief that he belongs in international rugby” – and Joseph himself cannot wait to try his luck against the French again. “The Toulouse game was a big game for me. A lot of the Toulouse squad are in the French squad so in terms of how they defend and attack I have a bit of a better understanding of how they are going to play at the weekend.
“It’s on a tougher stage, defences are much stronger at international level. You have to be a lot more patient but it’s still a game of rugby and there will be opportunities out there. It’s just making sure you’re there early enough, can see the picture in front of you and make the right calls accordingly.”
Catt and Joseph are also adamant England’s profligacy against Scotland can be rectified before the France game. “It was frustrating but as a team we feel we have come on massively in terms of putting defences under stress,” Catt said. “We’re happy with what we have created; now it is just a case of doing the last bit. I don’t think there is any need to panic. That will come.”
As the England camp are well aware they also need their forwards to deliver a secure platform on which Joseph and Ford can flourish. The Leicester pair of Tom Youngs and Geoff Parling are on the verge of making the starting lineup ahead of Dylan Hartley and Dave Attwood and the coaches are demanding more precision at the set piece as well as with the ball in hand. “A lot of talk is about backs not finishing but a lot of the time it is about what the forwards are giving you to create those opportunities,” Catt said. “There is a clear understanding of how we want the game to be played and it is up to the guys to demand it of each other.”
England have not had the chance to secure a Six Nations Championship at Twickenham since 1996, when Catt was a player. On that occasion they beat Ireland 28-15 to clinch the title in Will Carling’s final game as the England captain.
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