'Everyone he has ever played with thinks he is going to be a p***k but he quickly defuses them of that'
Dedications for the new James Haskell book What A Flanker! – which is out today, October 1 – portray exactly the type of autobiography rugby fans might expect from the retired England player: loud, unabashed, funny, lewd and heavy on the anecdotes.
Amazon have described it as “the funniest sports biography you’ll read in 2020”, Waterstones say it “delves into the touring, drinking, training, eating and sometimes unconscionable antics of the professional rugby player”, while Haskell himself promises it to be “a laugh-a-minute”.
Yet the man who acted as Haskell’s ghostwriter for What A Flanker! – former BBC sports journalist Ben Dirs – was left with an altogether different impression of the 77-cap Test back row.
“James Haskell worked way harder than almost anyone else in rugby,” Dirs told RugbyPass. “At the peak of his extras, he was training with Wasps during the day and then going off to do extra work with Margot Wells the sprint coach.
“At Stade Francais, the French thought he was a weirdo because he was so professional – they used to call him ‘la machine‘. He would take the Eurostar back to England every Tuesday just to see his personal physio, and he was doing loads of other stuff which people probably thought, ‘What are you doing?’ Cage fighting for example. I imagine, had he not worked as hard as he did, he would have faded away.”
Its out!!! To day is the day What A Flanker is published. You can get it anywhere you get your physical books. Its out on e reader and of course an audio book version.
Please share your feedback, you are going to love it https://t.co/B3LeawBIh9 pic.twitter.com/6ea97K8eVz— James Haskell (@jameshaskell) October 1, 2020
Haskell the uber-professional is not the impression you might expect to take from a book which is packed with the type of high jinx and humour the Englishman is famed for. Like the end-of-season barbecue that Haskell hosted for his Highlanders teammates which descended into a bonfire of Haskell’s furniture.
Or the Thames boat trip which played its part in Haskell losing the Wasps captaincy, or the night-out in Fulham after Wasps won the 2007 Heineken Cup where Haskell’s jeans were ripped into a pair of Daisy Dukes leaving him tackle-out for the evening. The book catalogues plenty more such episodes, and the humour follows.
Capturing Haskell’s humour was one of the key reasons Dirs got the job as his ghostwriter, and it’s also one of the main reasons Haskell is so well-liked within rugby despite his reputation for being “a bit of a tit”.
Dirs said: “One of the themes of the book is, Who is James Haskell? Is he the person the public think he is? No, he isn’t. James says himself that people think he’s a bit of a tit! And he became this personification of everything all the other countries hated about England rugby players: public school, extremely posh, Wellington College-educated, very privileged, loud.
“There’s a quote from Rory Best saying that when Haskell was called up to the Lions in 2017 he thought, ‘Oh God, anyone but James Haskell’. Everyone he has ever played with thinks he is going to be a p***k but he quickly defuses them of that. He’s just very funny in that very keen way.
“People will be surprised by his level of self-awareness and self-deprecation. People will find him genuinely funny and not just England fans, anyone will. There is some serious stuff in there too. He’s not as self-assured as you might think. He’s had doubts about his ability his whole career so there is an element that his confidence is a front.”
Having also written books with the likes of cricketer Andrew Flintoff and Curtis Woodhouse, the professional footballer who became a boxing champion, Dirs is an expert hand at getting sportspeople to open up, whether under his own name or as a ghostwriter.
“He was very professional,” continued Dirs about Haskell’s involvement in the book. “He wanted it done properly. I’ve done books before where the subject has never read it and it just goes to press. I’m like, ‘I hope I didn’t add anything they don’t like because we’re going to find out now!’
Shocking cost of post-rugby care https://t.co/e4qhN4dCuP
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 29, 2020
“There was none of that with Haskell. He was all over it, at every stage. Which was a good thing because it makes you realise they care, which was nice. The main thing is he was a very nice man, polite, generous with his time, punctual. Never let me down on a meeting. He’s a very professional man full-stop.
“Let’s just say he was quite granular (when reviewing drafts of the book). But if I was going to write a book and got a ghostwriter in, I would want to make sure it was exactly as I wanted it.”
Extracts from the book have already been serialised by the Daily Telegraph, with some featuring Haskell’s views of England’s disastrous 2011 and 2015 World Cup campaigns. While Haskell doesn’t spare anyone’s blushes, he justifies any criticisms and balances them with praise where it’s due.
Dirs added: “If you’re reading it as a book where he’s just slaughtering everyone it’s certainly not that for the reason that he gets on with most people. But he’s not afraid to single people out. I get the impression he doesn’t like hypocrisy.”
What was also clear to Dirs is that this book is no career sign-off for Haskell. “He’s so professional that he will be a success whatever he goes on to do. I don’t know where he’ll pop up, it could be anywhere. But he will be remembered for other things as well as rugby.”
"Many Northampton fans didn’t want me & were very outspoken. They assumed I was on mega wedge, not the academy contract that I essentially signed"@jameshaskell on hateful fan sites, I'm a Celebrity edits screwing him; MMA, BLM & more w/@heagneyl 👨💻https://t.co/9SsEeGT790
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 16, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
No Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
3 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
18 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
18 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
54 Go to comments