Will Joseph and Seb Atkinson interview: Gloucester centres on England ambitions and the overhaul behind Premiership leaders’ flying start

From their view across the Kingsholm car park, Gloucester centres Seb Atkinson and Will Joseph display the kind of effortless understanding every successful midfield partnership needs.

‘Perhaps it has something to do with our owner, Martin St Quinton,’ Atkinson says, glancing towards an unfamiliar Caterham 7 sports car parked nearby.

‘Val Rapava-Ruskin, our Georgian prop, used to drive a Maserati,’ Joseph adds. ‘You’ll be getting a nice one soon, won’t you, Seb? Kerching!’

‘I drive a VW Golf!’ Atkinson replies. This summer, he was handed his first enhanced central contract by the RFU. ‘I’m more like N’Golo Kante, the French midfielder with the Mini.’

‘Exactly — the Kante of the team,’ Joseph says. ‘Seb is our workhorse, just like N’Golo. He’s relentless and always records the highest metres. Whenever we train or play, Seb checks the statistics. He is constantly running, chasing kicks and ending up at the top.’

One statistic particularly highlights Atkinson’s impact. The Gloucester inside centre made more post-contact metres than any other back in the PREM last season. His power gives the Cherry and Whites’ midfield real force, while outside centre Joseph — also 24 — provides the flair and unpredictability.

‘If we’re comparing them to footballers, Will is like Lamine Yamal,’ Atkinson says, referring to the 19-year-old Barcelona winger who has already helped Spain to World Cup and European Championship glory. ‘He’s fast and skilful, and can do everything I can’t. He’s exciting with the ball and plays with tremendous confidence.

‘You can spend the whole week preparing tactically, but if someone can beat their opponent with speed or footwork, it does not matter quite so much what the defence looks like. I probably become too tactical at times, whereas Will brings the spark and flair that gets the crowd out of their seats.’

That optimism is evident throughout Gloucester as they prepare to welcome back-to-back European champions and French giants Bordeaux to Kingsholm in their Champions Cup opener on Friday night.

Gloucester endured a disappointing eighth-place finish in the PREM last season, securing a place in Europe’s elite competition by just one point from ninth-placed Harlequins. This campaign has begun in strikingly different fashion: after three rounds, they sit top of the table, with their young backs thriving.

Technical director Chris Boyd, the experienced New Zealander, oversaw a restructuring of the coaching staff last season, bringing in forwards coach Brett Deacon, defence coach Joel Tomkins and recruitment chief Rob Burgess. Gloucester then strengthened their pack during the summer with the arrivals of Springbok lock Jean Kleyn and Wales co-captains Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan, providing Atkinson and Joseph with an even stronger platform.

Gloucester are one of only two PREM teams, alongside Bristol, never to have won the league title. They have competed in all 40 seasons since the move to a national league system and have finished top of the table three times, only to see their hopes ended in the play-offs. Could this finally be the year the drought comes to an end?

‘The atmosphere is good,’ Atkinson says. ‘There was some uncertainty during pre-season. We knew we had the chance to play good rugby, but we had thought that in previous years and it had not materialised. Now there is a belief that we can still improve significantly.

‘Joel wants to see physical players putting their bodies on the line, doing whatever the team needs and then getting back up to do it again. His northern accent probably helps! We are trying to make dominant tackles, not simply complete tackles.

‘Then someone like Jean makes good points around training. If you see people getting frustrated, a few scuffles, he just says, “That’s not the team we want to be”. 

‘No one is reinventing rugby. They know what’s right and what’s wrong and people buy into that. It gives us trust and belief in our game plan so everything pushes in the right direction.

‘I’ve had some tough times at this club. We don’t want to get satisfied now and fall back into those periods. We’re not here for just a couple of good games.’

Friday night’s match against Bordeaux will be Gloucester’s toughest test in recent years. The visitors are loaded with stars such as Tom Willis, Maxime Lucu and Yoram Moefana, and have won each of their seven matches against English sides in the two Champions Cup-winning campaigns. 

The French heavyweights sprung a surprise with their team selection, naming giant 23st Tonga prop Ben Tameifuna in the second row alongside 6ft 5in Cameron Woki.

For the hosts, Joseph will shift to the wing, lining up against French superstar Louis Bielle-Biarrey, a challenge he is not shying away from.

‘The double European champions are coming to our place on a Friday night,’ says Joseph. ‘Given how we’ve started the PREM, we definitely feel like we’ve got a chance to win that game and show the rest of Europe what we’re about. 

‘What a statement that could be. If you can’t get excited for this one then you’re in the wrong sport. It’s going to be like a Test match for us.’

As the man in possession of England’s No12 jersey, Atkinson knows the demands of Test rugby. Attack coach James Lightfoot-Brown celebrated his central contract in a team meeting, while the club hope the buzz around Kingsholm will convince Atkinson to sign a new deal. His current contract expires at the end of this season.

‘Things are looking positive so we’ll see,’ says Atkinson. ‘I’m enjoying being here and I’m enjoying playing with Will and everyone else. The contract with England is a funny one because it doesn’t guarantee selection in any way. It won’t change my mindset on things.

‘It shows what I’ve been doing so far has been respected by the coaching set-up. With the World Cup lingering in the background, I want to continue on that trajectory.  Everyone at the club gives you a pat on the back but it doesn’t change much in my mind. I’m gaining confidence every game I play. I want to push myself to be one of the best 12s in the world.’

While Atkinson is looking to cement his place in Steve Borthwick’s midfield, Joseph is trying to force his way back into the conversation. 

He has just one cap, earned four years ago, when Eddie Jones called him up as an apprentice for the victorious tour of Australia. Gloucester coach George Skivington believes the pair’s complementary skillsets can see them thrive for country as well as club.

‘I was 19 when I was called up by England,’ says Joseph. ‘It’s all a bit of a blur. I went in as an apprentice player, probably not expecting to play. I went in with the attitude of having nothing to lose. That was pretty freeing. I trained pretty well and was given an opportunity.

‘I hadn’t played much rugby at all at that point. I was living in the academy house, pretty immature, developing as a young man. I’ve learned a lot about the game since then. Now I know what it takes to be a consistent Premiership player. It’s an environment I’d love to be part of in the future but for now I’m focused on Gloucester.’

Joseph’s older brother Jonathan was capped 54 times by England, winning three Six Nations titles including the 2016 Grand Slam, and the famous name carries weight. 

‘When I was younger, I used to struggle with the expectancy,’ he admits. ‘I felt like I was always being compared to him. People had a perception of me and they would say, “You’re never going to be as good as your brother”. That used to get to me a bit. Now I’ve proven to myself that I belong here and deserve to be here. We’ve spoken a lot about confidence and belief and you can feel that around the building.’