Jonathan Joseph and Kyle Eastmond have shone for Bath but they may not link up for England © Getty Images

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England coach Stuart Lancaster was full of admiration for Bath's memorable destruction of Toulouse last Sunday but any hopes that their 10-12-13 axis will line up together in the Six Nations seem unlikely.

George Ford, Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph were all named in the 34-man England squad for the upcoming championship and, with the midfield still an area of uncertainty, fans could be forgiven for thinking Lancaster might turn to the tried and tested combination in an attempt to forge some stability.

To date Lancaster has named ten different starting centre partnerships, with Brad Barritt and Billy Twelvetrees the last to take to the field in England's win over Australia at the end of November.

Since then Twelvetrees has struggled for form, but a fit and firing Luther Burrell has put himself back in the England mix with a series of impressive displays, including a man-of-the-match performance against Leicester which was truly exceptional. All over the field there is competition for places, but with that come selection headaches, something Warren Gatland hinted on Tuesday would be a hindrance, with England's midfield make-up in particular still ambiguous.

Lancaster has been impressed with Joseph saying he was "exceptional in an exceptional Bath performance" and, while selection for the first match against Wales is "reasonably clear" in the coach's mind, Joseph's form "warrants some debate".

"He [Joseph] has never been far away from our thinking in the last six or seven months because of his form for Bath. Clearly he has gone to a club that are playing great rugby.

"And he is benefitting from relationship with Kyle and George and he has improved in areas we asked him to, particularly in defence and the breakdown that has been excellent. He has developed his strengths and improved areas. And he has shown temperament to deliver in big games. He was stand-out at the weekend and is rightly in there."

But despite the success of Bath's current gameplan, Lancaster highlighted how Leicester were able to shut them out when they won at the turn of the year. He believes England's shape and structures are "not too dissimilar" from Bath's but their recent success in heads-up rugby will not necessarily lead to Lancaster replicating that blueprint with the trio swapping their Bath colours for England.

"We would never put as a priority selecting a club combination, if it transpired it was the best combination," Lancaster said. "For us it is about selecting the best team and when they come into England we are confident they will adapt and work together whatever combinations we choose. International rugby is about field position and territory as well as being able to play rugby all the time as well."

He added: "Internationally, the challenge is a little bit different and you pull players together from different clubs and your rate of advancement is sometimes tempered by that. The way Bath played was a great model of attack. You have to take it into consideration. You also have to take into consideration the strengths of Northampton, Leicester managed to squeeze Bath not too long ago. It's not as simple as taking one game."

Andy Farrell picked out Barritt and Burrell for praise when asked about the difference between good club-level players and the step up required for Test rugby, while also highlighting the pool of talent at England's disposal.

"The Bath three can work together, no doubt about that," Farrell said. "Defensively it's important but it's not as if none of those three can defend either. It is just whatever is right for the team. The centre partnership, the 9-10, the 10-12 is what is right for the team.

"Who you pick at 15 or the wings - it's a combination of things. Confidence and form is a big thing as well. Luther Burrell played against Leicester in a big game, that was impressive and you've got to look at how Brad Barritt played in the autumn series. Against Australia he was pretty immense really. So you've got to look at the combinations, who's got the character as well in big games. It's not just about all areas of game, it's about attitude and character as well.

"We're lucky now, we've got this situation where, because we've had injuries to say Manu or Luther as we've gone over the last couple of years, I think we're quite fortunate now that we've got a pool of five or six really good 9s, 10s, inside backs that can do a job at Test level. It's a great place to be at with the year that we've got ahead."