Jonathan Joseph backing Stuart Lancaster and Chris Robshaw to stay
Tuesday 6 October 2015 12:02, UK
Jonathan Joseph believes England coach Stuart Lancaster and captain Chris Robshaw should both continue in their current roles.
The positions of Lancaster and Robshaw have been scrutinised after Australia's 33-13 win at Twickenham on Saturday night, which condemned England to a group-stage exit from the World Cup.
No host nation has ever been knocked out of the tournament at the group stage before, and the performances of both Lancaster and Robshaw - who made a controversial decision to kick for touch rather than at goal with a late penalty against Wales - have been strongly criticised as a result.
But centre Joseph - whose performances have been one of the few positive notes during a dire World Cup campaign - wants to see them both stay.
"Stuart has been fantastic," he said. "What he's brought in the past four years in terms of bringing us together, making us a unit and the culture side of it, has been amazing. He's brought in all those values that we hold close to us.
"I definitely think he deserves another shot. Obviously that's not down to me, it's down to powers-that-be and whatever will be, will be.
"For me, he's been fantastic. He's someone that I can go and talk to."
That approachability, Joseph feels, is also a key attribute for skipper Robshaw, alongside his intense work-rate.
"Robbo has been a great leader in the past four years," he said. "Again, he's someone that you can go and talk to, on and off the pitch.
"He's up there to be skipper and continue that role. A lot of people don't see what he does around the park and his work-rate.
"He's exhausted after every game and he always leaves everything out there."
