schema:articleBody
| - Jonathan Joseph is looking forward to having the freedom of Twickenham after being given a roving role on the wing by Eddie Jones for England's Autumn Nations Cup opener against Georgia on Saturday. It will be only the second time Joseph has started a Test on the wing, with England coach Jones opting to deploy the powerful Ollie Lawrence in the Bath midfielder's usual position of outside centre. Jones, however, has told Joseph to go looking for the ball in a role similar to that previously performed by injured England wing Jack Nowell, a more direct runner. "Eddie has told me that I have free rein to go where I want, but won't be picking and going like Jack does, that's for sure," the 51-times capped Joseph said Friday "But I'll look to get into second and third receiver positions where possible so that I can get my hands on the ball a bit earlier. I want to execute for the boys outside me. "I'm looking forward to it because I've got free licence to do what I want, so hopefully I'll get some good opportunities out there to add to the team." The 29-year-old added: "I love playing on the wing. With England and the style we play, you get more good ball on the wing." Lawrence, described as "electric on the ball" by Jones, made his debut off the bench in England's last match, a 34-5 win over Italy in Rome in October that saw them clinch the Six Nations title. He has now has a chance to fill the physical void left in the World Cup finalists midfield by the long-term absence of centre Manu Tuilagi with an Achilles injury. "Ollie's really grown over the last few weeks but he's still learning the game. He's got a really good mindset, asking questions of very experienced senior players," said England attack coach Simon Amor. "He has the capacity to hit really good running lines and that creates really good opportunities. He's just starting his journey so it's exciting to see where he can go." jdg/bsp
|