Friday 13 February 2015 21:17, UK
Worcester coach Dean Ryan is delighted that England have stuck with Jonathan Joseph in the centre against Italy.
Joseph was one of England's bright lights as they produced an impressive second-half performance to beat Wales 21-16 in the Six Nations last Friday.
With injuries to the likes of Brad Barritt and Manu Tuilagi, England had no option but to pick the in-form Joseph for the opener. The 23-year-old faced a huge test in the pressure cooker that is the Millennium Stadium but the Bath centre passed with flying colours and looks to be the answer to England's centre issues.
Stuart Lancaster has stuck with the winning team and Joseph will make his Twickenham debut against Italy on Saturday.
"As far as I am concerned, Joseph is there to stay," said former England No.8 Ryan on Sky Sports News HQ.
"He should have been in there a long time ago - he just showed what he is capable of, especially when you play a pretty measured game.
"England played a lot of set piece possession and they made sure that they were in the right area of the field. When you play like that, you need someone like Joseph to dance around a little bit."
I think this will be England by a country mile and so it should be, because then they can really set themselves up to have a crack at this Championship.
England are expected to cut loose against Italy at Twickenham after that impressive win. And while the England coaching staff have warned their players of being complacent, Ryan believes they England can really go show what they are capable of against Italy.
"Last week against Wales, it was a huge emotional roller coaster. There was huge pressure on them going to the Millennium Stadium," added Ryan.
"But it was a fantastic performance and really put a marker down - not just in terms of being competitive in the Six Nations, but actually winning it.
"Italy have never cause England a problem at home. This is the chance for Stuart Lancaster to go through the gears a little bit. This is about getting combinations right and making sure players stay to plan - which was one of the major success against Wales.
"I think this will be England by a country mile and so it should be, because then they can really set themselves up to have a crack at this Championship."
