Bath centre is unfazed by switching positions for the Six Nations game against Ireland
Eddie Jones’s habit of encouraging flexibility among players over recent months goes beyond Sunday’s match against
Ireland being a third successive game without a specialist No 8, with Tom Curry continuing in the position. Further evidence of Jones’s quibbling at the notion of specialists is demonstrated in the selection of Jonathan Joseph, primarily a centre, for his first start on the wing for
England, the Bath player winning his 50th cap in the process.
“It’ll be special,” says Joseph, who practises on the wing in training according to Jones. “I’ll have my family there, everyone that’s supported me from my younger years, so it’ll definitely be a special moment for me. I feel like I have experience now. At 28 I’ve been around the setup for a long time, I’ve played a fair amount in the Premiership, so I’m that experienced player.”