Attack mode for Joseph
Jonathan Joseph hopes England will be able to emulate Bath's cavalier style when they face Wales in Friday night's RBS 6 Nations opener at the Millennium Stadium.
Joseph forms a previously untried centre partnership with Luther Burrell - the ninth midfield combination of Stuart Lancaster's reign - after winning the last of his six caps in 2013.
Lancaster revealed that Joseph's sparkling season for Bath, particularly his pyrotechnics in the recent 35-18 romp at Toulouse, had made his defence-shredding footwork impossible to ignore.
The 23-year-old starts alongside club team-mates George Ford and Anthony Watson and he insists they will bring some Bath devilry to England's backs play if the opportunity presents itself.
"I hope we can attack in this game like we do for Bath. We have to be smart and do it in the right areas," Joseph said.
"But there's no reason that with turn-over ball, if there is the opportunity, why we can't run the ball? It'll be great if we can really attack it. If the right decision is to run, we'll run.
"We have a mindset to play. If we have a chance to play and it is on, we'll play. We don't want to waste opportunities. We are playing the game for a reason and that's to be challenging defences."
On the surface, the decision to select the hard-running Burrell would appear to end Lancaster's stated policy of selecting a playmaker at inside centre.
However, Lancaster insists it is Joseph's success in acting as the eyes and ears for Ford at Bath and his improving kicking game that have given him the confidence to shift the duties to the number 13 jersey.
"In the backline we are looking for someone to help out the 10 as an organiser and a kicker," Lancaster said.
"Look at Jonathan's contribution to the Bath team, not necessarily his long kicking game which Mike Brown can cater for, but more his short kicking game such as the little balls along the floor.
"Also his attacking kicking and the amount of good information he passes on to George in that Bath shirt.
"I asked George about that and he said he is critical due to the amount of information he passes on. So we still have that person in the backline.
"Jonathan will take that role of the organiser and the second voice, while Luther will play a more direct role."
Joseph insists he is a different player now to the one who was last capped on the 2013 summer tour to Argentina.
"My involvement, my understanding and my leadership qualities have all improved," Joseph said.
"You just have to be loud. It is an area of my game that has got a load better. It does help the fly-halves if they have another voice outside them telling them the right options and where the space is. It's worked very well with me and George at Bath."
