Haskell's career and character should be celebrated - Andy Goode
It may not have ended in the way he would’ve liked but James Haskell’s rugby career is one that almost every other player would be envious of and we should celebrate him for the player and character that he is.
My first experience of him was when he was the young whippersnapper coming through at Wasps and he was trying to be the new Lawrence Dallaglio. We used to call him ‘Mini Lol’ when we played against him for Leicester.
You could tell how good he was going to be even then, though, so much so that we couldn’t decide whether it was better to go up against Hask who was like the Duracell bunny or Lol who would have the referee on side the whole game.
Back then he was trying to be Dallaglio but it didn’t take him long to emerge from the big man’s shadow and forge a great career of his own.
In his younger days, he was one of those players that you thought was an absolute helmet when you played against him but as soon as you got to know him you realised what a great bloke he was.
I had the privilege of playing with him for a couple of years with England and then at the end of my career for a couple of years with Wasps and he was hilarious every day at training.
He was often the butt of the jokes but he would be dishing it out left, right and centre as well. We used to call him ‘the shitspreader’ because he was like one of those agricultural machines that would fire out so much shit.
Maybe only one in 10 of his gags or insults would actually land or make sense but he was great to have around the dressing room.
He’s relentless in everything he does and calling himself ‘the Archbishop of Banterbury’ and some of the other things that he did definitely led to him being misunderstood by fans, some sections of the media and even opposition players as well.
He’s up there with the most professional guys I’ve ever played with. The effort he put in and amount of extra training and work he used to do was phenomenal and that was just on the rugby side of things, without all his extracurricular activities.
We used to take the mickey out of him for his handling because he really couldn’t catch for love nor money and that did rile him. I used to say that he was the best back rower in the world if he didn’t touch the ball.
If we’re honest, his hands still aren’t the best but he even worked on them as he was so driven to be the best he could be. And, I think he maximised every bit of potential he had.
Dallaglio and Joe Worsley are the only back rowers to have won more caps for England and if you list all of his achievements from a Grand Slam to a European Cup to Premiership titles and then playing in the Top 14, Super Rugby, it’s a hell of a CV.
If you cover up his name on that CV, most players will tell you that’s about as good a career as you can possibly have. The name James Haskell divides opinion but you can’t take what he’s achieved away from him.
And, if you look at his work off the rugby pitch, there’s nobody more prepared for life after playing than him even though it might not feel like that to him at the moment.
He’s taken a lot of flak for that over the years from other players and fans who don’t know him because of the perception that he’s not been fully focused on his rugby but that hasn’t been the case at all and it’ll stand him in good stead now.
I was amazed at how committed he was to his rugby and how much commitment he showed to his training, his supplement business, setting up a gym, DJing and everything else he did. How he found the time I’ve no idea. I’m not sure when he sleeps.
Not every player can be like that because some would be rubbish if they had so much other stuff going on but it definitely helped Hask and he really broke the mould in that respect.
He might have mellowed a bit from the youngster who started out at Wasps alongside Dallaglio and co but it’s part of his make-up that he can’t sit still.
The toe injury he’s struggled with over the past few years since he was Man of the Series in England’s 3-0 whitewash of Australia away from home in 2016 means he hasn’t been able to end his career on the note he would’ve wanted but that’s not what people will remember.
They’ll remember how devastating he was in that series victory down under, how he was told he wasn’t a number seven but helped England win a Grand Slam and how he played all over the globe and met every challenge he faced head on.
It is ironic that it’s a toe injury that has forced him to call time on his playing career, though, as he’s the only rugby player I’ve ever seen in the changing room with painted toenails!
I bumped into him at a private medical clinic earlier on in the season and he was still hopeful of getting back to his best. His injury hasn’t allowed him to and this season will have been so frustrating for him but nobody is better set up for life after rugby than him.
He definitely doesn’t need any advice on retirement, or anything else for that matter, but I’d just tell him to carry on being himself and he’ll definitely make a success of whatever he does next. And, rugby will be a quieter place without him.
I always used to try to play with a smile on my face and have fun while playing rugby for a living and Hask was the same. He just managed to do so while being a damn sight more professional than I was!
A lot of people might have got the wrong impression of him over the years but if I was picking a player that I wanted to have next to me on my team, I’d pick James Haskell every day of the week. He’s an absolute legend of a bloke and this definitely isn’t the last we’re going to hear of him.
Comments on RugbyPass
Wouldn’t be a bad move if Ireland pulled into SA with a young side. Particularly in Pretoria. Invaluable experience getting thumped in the bosveld.
47 Go to commentsIreland. The Princess Diana of Rugby. I never cheered so much for a team as i did for the All Blacks in that QF.
47 Go to commentsWill be great to see the Leinster first XV back in action again after their cotton wool time…
1 Go to commentsLooked up Grant Constable on google and reply was doppelgänger for Ben Smith
47 Go to commentsIt is so good that we now all get excited and debate who is best and emotionally get involved. We all back our teams which is great. Up until about 15-20 years ago, NZ was basically on its own, and then Saffa, Aussie and sometimes French and English were there. We now have at least 5-6 really top sides and another 4 who keep improving. This is so healthy. So we should not resort to rubbish comments and unhealthy debate, but rather all be chuffed that the product we watch is not competitive, exciting and often uncertain. It would be so good if World Rugger could find a way to align the rules to professional players as well as spectators. Live rugby games are SO boring as there is SO much down time as we wait for refs and TMOs and whoever else to look at every small event going back endless phases with the hope of eventually find a minute infringement to then decide cancel what was a wonderful try. This is the ultimate cork back in the bottle moment and feels like every balloon is always being popped. Come on- we must be better with the rules.
47 Go to comments“upon leaving said establishment I tripped over a stool knocking some bottles into the air and as I fell I accidently dislodged a police officer’s teaser who was passing by on an unrelated matter there by landing on said taser which caused it to discharge 50,000 watts into me. Out of shock I shouted Ireland are going to win the world cup. Upon waking up I apologised for the distress caused by my Ireland comment. The matter is closed. If you wish to pursue this matter may I remind you what I told Wayne Barnes when he sent me off. I AM A BIG ASS MAN”. Or was it “I AM A BIG ASS, MAN” or was it “I AM A BIG ASSMAN”?
1 Go to commentsThe only championship the Boks hold are: Great value for the incompetence of referees during the RWC Moaning endlessly and champions of spewing utterly ignorant 💩 at all times. Displaying the dangers of a third world education End of.
47 Go to commentsSouth Africa and Rassie do a phenomenal job of treating the 4 years in between World Cups as nothing more than a training exercise to build squad depth. The Six Nations money that keeps Irish rugby afloat is unfortunately too important to allow the same approach, and basic population size means we'll never get close to matching the depth of South Africa, England and France. That being said, Irish rugby is in a relatively good place and slowly improving inch by inch. If the other three provinces can pull the finger out and actually develop some players it'd be even better.
47 Go to commentsGood on Clarke for taking on the criticism and addressing his deficiencies, principally his laziness.
2 Go to comments“It is the people’s favourite against the actual favourite. It is the people’s champions against the actual champions. I’m joking, but it’s going to be a fantastic series.” Why did Darcy make that joke knowing it would be used as click bait? Why did RP headline it as a serious comment? Anyway, the tired comment isn’t very astute. SA players may have played more games etc. Darcy over estimated as a pundit.
47 Go to commentsNot sure Frisch will ever make the French team with Depoortère and Costes waiting in the wings to take over from Danty and Fickou.
1 Go to commentsThe Irish are tired and the Boks are old. The test series won't confirm who is best in the world, it will confirm which team needs to pursue the task of rebuilding with the most urgency.
47 Go to commentsGrant, the first time I have seen an article written by you. Maybe I have missed your previous stuff. These days all professional players effectively play a common season so all top players are equally tired, or rested. That is the job of the coaching ticket to build squad depth and juggle resources so players are ‘ fresh’ when the big games come. Possibly Ireland are less inclined to juggle squad compared to Rassie, who is prepared to take the risk to rest players as well as build depth throughout the year so come WC he has a full squad, experienced and rested enough to win 7 games. After all, to win WC you need to get through the tournament and then win the final big 3 games. Ireland should try and build a bit so come final 3 they are ready. So far only played final 1(QF). I am so looking forward to the Irish tour. Hopefully Rassie has enough time to align his guys, as he draws them from across the globe, and not from 2 sides locally( eg Leinster, Munster). No excuses, going to be exciting.
47 Go to commentsIn football, teams get fined and sometimes docked points for deliberately fielding weakened teams yet Leinster can pretty much do as they please with no comebacks. Could it be because Ireland run the URC? Could it be that Ireland run the ERC? Whichever it is, it stinks!!
6 Go to commentsIreland are only the People’s Champions in Irish eyes. The rest of the world do not care for them very much because of attitudes of people like Gordon, Ferris, Best, Jackman…I could go on!!
47 Go to commentsNot sure how Karl Dickson can ever ref a Quins game, he played for the club for 8 years as understudy to Care and is still close friends with half the team
3 Go to commentsAre bookies taking bets on how many times Vunipola's eventual statement will use the term “elders"? My money is on at least 4 times.
4 Go to commentsSo Ireland will be tired, despite having the most rested test squad in the world. They only play tests, champions cup and urc play off games ffs! Case in point; Leinster sent a B squad to SA for their last two games while their first xv rested up and trained at their leisure for the sf vs Saints at the so called ‘neutral venue’ of Croke Park. So tired? Do me a favour… And as for “people’s champions”? Seriously??? Outside of Ireland they are respected for their ability to win 6N. And of course plenty of inconsequential test friendlies without any real pressure. WC ko games when the pressure is white hot? Not so much…
47 Go to commentsSurprising how standing down or benching a player can do wonders for their motivation. Several players this week in that category.
2 Go to commentsHaha lads lads lads, that’s how you have a holiday In Majorca
4 Go to comments