Bath head coach Mike Ford has urged Stuart Lancaster to look no further than Jonathan Joseph to fill the No.13 void left by Leicester bulldozer Manu Tuilagi for England this autumn.
Tuilagi will be on the sidelines for six-to-eight weeks through injury, while Saracens centre Brad Barritt will also by unavailable for Lancaster this autumn.
Joseph started at outside centre in both of England’s victorious tests in Argentina in the summer, and despite not being selected in the elite player squad Ford insists the Bath centre should be the next cab off the rank.
With the RBS 6 Nations on the horizon after Christmas, Joseph, who moved from London Irish to Bath in the summer, will be desperate to take advantage of any opportunity that comes his way.
And Ford insists Joseph has started the season like an express train in his new surroundings of the Recreation Ground and deserves his chance with England.
“He’s definitely ready,” Ford told the Daily Mail. “He was unlucky not to be picked in the elite squad and now, after the injuries to two centres, he is the next cab off the rank. He’s ready, but it will depend on what type of game England want to play.
“If they want to play a distribution game and get the ball wide, then JJ is the man for that, but if they just want to play a bashing game, that might be more suited to someone else.
“He’s definitely got the talent for Test rugby; he’s a lethal runner, fleet of foot, good at making outside breaks and he’s seriously quick, but he’s also a tough player who is ready to get stuck in and get his hands dirty.
“He’s impressed me with his attitude since coming here.”
