...while Joseph works off his frustration

FIT-AGAIN Jonathan Joseph aims to remind man-of-the-moment Henry Slade why he must never be complacent about occupying England’s No.13 jersey.

After two bouts of ankle surgery since last April, 40cap Joseph, right, says injury setbacks during his recovery dragged him down to “rock bottom.”

Having returned against Toulouse last month and been immediately recalled to England’s Six Nations squad, Joseph is ready to apply heat to Slade.

He said: “It was a bit of a shock getting back in the England squad so quickly. I was under no illusions that I’d play against Ireland after just 50 minutes for Bath, but I had a chat with Eddie Jones and I’m looking to push on.

“Eddie just wanted to get me back into the system and have a feel for how things are going after such a long time out.

“Henry and I are mates so there’s no animosity. England have been unbelievable in the Six Nations so far and they’ve shown such composure and talent. I’ve got to put in performances for Bath and build a bit of real momentum again.

“If I can do that and we’re playing well, we’ll see what happens.”

Of his lay-off, Joseph explained: “It was supposed to be six months but ended up as nine, which was hugely frustrating. My toe kicked off because I’d been in a boot for so long, then my Achilles on the other side kicked off.

“It’s the worst I’ve had. It really tested my character and brought me to rock bottom because it was just such a long, frustrating injury.

“All you can do is try to keep your brain sane so I was doing a lot of stuff behind the scenes at Bath in terms of analysis and previewing opposition. “Although I did quite a lot of analysis anyway, I did a lot more and led a few meetings. I enjoyed that and I wouldn’t rule out coaching in future.” Joseph, 27, is under no illusions about the challenge of breaking back into a flying England side. He added: “Their attack, defence and strategic kicking has been right on the money. They’re still searching for the perfect game but they’re getting as close as possible and there are still growth areas to get better.

“The depth is unbelievable in every position. You look three or four down and there are guys who can come in and do a job, it’s one of the world’s best squads from that perspective.

“There’s always a bit of you that’s desperate to be out there, but ultimately you’ve just got to play well for your club and then take any chances you might get again with England.”