If any individual sums up England’s desire to bury a few long-standing perceptions on tour in New Zealand it is James Haskell. The Wasps flanker has played top-level rugby all over the world, earned 50 caps for his country and feels he is due more respect in some quarters. Despite his continuing role as a columnist for something called The Sloaney, a publication in which he once described himself as the “Archbishop of Banter-bury”, he has always minded what others think about him.
Whether his latest piece on his favourite men’s fragrances will impress many All Black supporters is debatable but the much-travelled Haskell does have some articulate and interesting views on New Zealand rugby players. Along with a stint playing Super Rugby for the Highlanders, he knows Ma’a Nonu well following their spell together at the Ricoh Black Rams in Japan. And his conclusion? That Stuart Lancaster’s England have absolutely no reason to feel inferior to the black-shirted menace in front of them.
Given the All Blacks lose series at home about as often as it snows in Samoa this might raise eyebrows among former Kiwi colleagues of Haskell such as the scrum-half Aaron Smith. The 29-year-old is adamant, even so, that England’s current squad are as good as their silver-fern wearing counterparts. “Playing over here was an eye-opener but it was also reassuring there was not some secret thing they were doing. I realised the guys were mortal,” he says.
“Armchair pundits would have you believe they’re doing something revolutionary. They’re not. They’re just very good at the basics, love to play with the ball and have a raw passion for the game. You have to respect the All Blacks but you can’t be beaten before you get on to the field.”
Haskell also argues that English impressions of All Black brilliance are frequently skewed by the manner in which Super 15 highlights are packaged. “In my experience they don’t get a lot of our [northern hemisphere club] rugby on television over here,” he says. “We’re raised on highlight reels of Super 15 guys scoring unbelievable tries so, when I came, I didn’t know what to expect. Would I be out of my depth? Were these guys going to be unbelievable? But rugby is rugby everywhere you go.”
What he did encounter was an oval-ball fervour unmatched anywhere else on earth: “Culturally over here rugby is their passion. No one goes: ‘I want to be a soccer player.’ Over in the UK a lot of younger players are interested in size and power. These guys want to pick up a ball and play touch.
“I just found it a country that really enjoyed its rugby and hadn’t been ruined by commercialisation. There were guys literally desperate to go and play with a ball. It reminded me what rugby was about and what it was like back in the day before we had 40-odd games in a season. And what I did find out was that, if you pressure them, they all make mistakes.”
Only good, well-organised, collectively-tight teams, though, win Tests on Kiwi soil. Haskell, a member of England’s ill-starred 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign, is perfectly placed to compare Lancaster’s happier set-up with the England of old. “It’s incomparable in terms of where we’re at now. What Stuart has created here is very special.
“He has a certain set of standards that you have to be part of. For some [past] players that wasn’t possible, for others it’s taken a bit of time to adjust. All he cares about is people putting the team first. That wasn’t difficult for me to do because I care a lot about playing for England.”
As Haskell freely concedes, the team hierarchy needed to do more to harness the emotional power of the national jersey. “As English people we often don’t promote ourselves and talk about passion and heritage. I think it’s essential,” he says. “The All Blacks bang on about it all day long. That’s something Stuart’s instilled. When I hear what he has to say about England, and the way he talks about the future, it’s like a drug. You just want more of it. Sometimes you know coaches are putting on an act because they have to set a particular mood. But every time he speaks he genuinely believes what he says and players buy into that. It’s a very positive and professional environment. That’s what we’re about now and the results will start speaking for themselves.”
Eden Park might not be the easiest place to start but Haskell and his team-mates are fully paid-up believers: “The stadium doesn’t matter ... you could be playing the All Blacks in a car-park and you’d still have to be at your best to beat them. If you impose your will on the opposition, you’re going to get the victory no matter who you’re playing.” Depleted side or not, England are bang up for it.
