Thursday 5 March 2015 23:33, UK
Bath and England centre Jonathan Joseph admits he would find it difficult to flourish in a Test side that did not favour an attacking approach to the game.
Stuart Lancaster’s side lost 19-9 to Ireland in their Six Nations match in Dublin on Sunday, where the home side favoured a strict kick-chase approach to the game, with their play carefully marshalled by half-back pairing Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton.
Despite the defeat, Joseph feels Lancaster is right to persist with the ball-in-hand rugby philosophy he is trying to encourage in his players.
"I love the way we play here at England, like Bath as well. We look to play and break down defences with our attacking shape,” said Joseph.
"Ultimately that's where I feel I get the most out of myself as a player. I like to have my hands on the ball, exploit space and move defenders around. That's why I play rugby ultimately.
"That's the most enjoyment I get out of it. Other teams like different things, they work for them. They executed it well on the day and it worked out for them."
England may no longer have their Six Nations fate in their own hands following their defeat to Ireland.
Joseph is still looking forward to facing Scotland in the Calcutta Cup clash at Murrayfield on March 14 though, where they will have the opportunity to atone for their loss at the Aviva Stadium.
"As a team, we could have performed a lot better. We know the areas we need to improve, the boys are just excited about the Scotland challenge," he added.
"From that game, there's a lot we can take out on an individual level and a team level.
"There's a lot of areas we can get better and looking at the clips there are areas we could see the opportunities if we'd got things right.
"It opens your eyes as to what is out there and what you can improve on.
"There's definitely an emotional thing (to defeat). As soon as the game's finished and you've lost, you want the next game to come round a lot quicker.
"You want that win, you want to put right the wrongs. It's definitely frustrating and the boys are a bit down, but we've got to train hard and prepare well for Scotland."
