Some sporting cross-pollination as a child is often the genesis for exceptional athletes. Jonathan Joseph sashayed his way through the Six Nations Championship, finishing as the top try scorer with four. An amalgam of speed and agility, he is blessed with an ability to process visual information in a nanosecond and the physical talent to exploit his findings.
The dip of a shoulder, the jagged sidesteps was wont to leave opponents flailing, Joseph remaining a fingertip beyond reach, his smooth acceleration enchanting friend and foe alike. L'Equipe penned a eulogy using the word l'amoroso (love affair) in the headline to offer an inkling of their admiration for the 23-year-old Bath and England outside centre.
Spectators, coaches, team-mates and opponents, have marvelled at Joseph the rugby player. What is less well known is that his athletic elegance was honed in a different sport. As a teenager, Joseph was identified as a top tennis prospect, the best in his age group in first Derbyshire and then Berkshire after the family moved south.
Hours spent on footwork drills in tennis helped define the rugby player that Joseph would become; not alone the speed but the ability to pirouette at full tilt and change direction while remaining balanced. Anticipation was another skill that he refined on the court.
Physical tests confirmed Joseph to be a superb athlete but the mental evaluations suggested he would never make it as a tennis player. His confidence shrivelled.
It’s difficult to reconcile that with the confidence he exudes on a rugby pitch but the camaraderie of the team environment fosters in the rather shy and quietly spoken Joseph a real belief.
Rugby was a central part of his childhood. His father, Ivan, played a dozen games for the Northampton Saints during the mid-Eighties. Now a chemical engineer with BP in Reading, he encouraged his son to play the sport, taking him down to minis at Derby RFC.
Seminal influence
As the family moved so too did Joseph’s rugby career and he found himself in the alma mater of current England captain
Chris Robshaw
, Millfield. His rugby coach
John Mallett
recommended him to London Irish and it was there as a 16-year-old that he first encountered South African-born former Irish prop
Neal Hatley
, the academy manager, who was to exert such a seminal influence.
From 2009-2013, Joseph played 61 matches for London Irish, at fullback, on the wing and latterly in the centre, scoring 19 tries. When Hatley moved to Bath, he persuaded five of his former charges, including Joseph and Anthony Watson, to join him at the Recreation Ground.
Joseph said at the time: “I’ve loved my time with London Irish but feel it’s time to make a move and Bath is an extremely exciting prospect. Obviously I’m still developing as a player and I feel that Bath will give me a fantastic environment in which to do that.”
It was a prescient observation. While at London Irish, Joseph had made his England debut as a replacement in the first Test on a tour to South Africa in 2012. He started the next two and the following summer he won two caps against Argentina. Then 20 months passed before he won his sixth cap in this season's Six Nations.
The hiatus was partially caused by a perception he didn't care enough. Deep down, however, he was frustrated. Test match redemption was initially offered in the shape of an injury to Manu Tuilagi and the rest, as they say, is history: four tries in five matches made him the standout back in the Six Nations.
More demanding
Everything stemmed from the responsibility thrust on him at club level. Bath’s head coach
Mike Ford
had made Joseph one of the team leaders in defence and he’s blossomed. He’s more vocal and more demanding of those around him. His tackle completion rate in the English Premiership is a staggering 98 per cent.
But it’s his creativity and cutting edge that can energise a crowd. Geordan Murphy has observed Joseph’s qualities first hand, both as a player and backs’ coach with the Leicester Tigers. “He’s burst into the public consciousness during the Six Nations Championship for many people outside England, but he’s been an excellent player for a few years.
"He started on the wing and is quick enough to play there, but the influence he has on a game has been facilitated by a move to the centre and the introduction of George Ford at outhalf. He brings out the best in Joseph. JJ is a great footballer and he uses the ball like a wand. He can beat players with his eyes only, directing them to where he wants them to go.
"He has the speed to make the outside break and is very good when confronted one-on-one. Leinster will give him the respect he deserves because if you don't, then it's likely to prove costly."
This afternoon Joseph returns to the Aviva Stadium, where he and England suffered the only defeat in the Six Nations. “In terms of how we played the game with England, defensively we were poor,” he said. “We lacked discipline and we gave away soft penalties.
“We want to go to the Aviva, exert ourselves and put the Bath way onto Leinster from the off so that we’re on the front foot. It’s definitely about what we can bring. Obviously we’ve done some detail on them, but it’s more about us, how we’re going to play our game, put pressure on them and hopefully convert it into points.”
Expect him to be at the epicentre of that ambition.
