If anyone should know what to expect when the Lions play in Dunedin on Tuesday it is James Haskell. Five years ago he was living in the beachside suburb of St Clair and playing for the Highlanders as part of a personal odyssey which also involved stints in France and Japan. Choosing the road less travelled was the best decision he ever made.
Far from being the death of his international career, it has proved the route to ultimate fulfilment. The 32-year-old flanker thought his treasured Lions dream had evaporated, only to receive a late call last month as a replacement for the injured Billy Vunipola. No visiting player will be keener than Haskell when he revisits the Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Even now he remembers the “amazing” experience with genuine affection. “It’s a time of my life I look back on really fondly,” Haskell said. “I loved playing Super Rugby and I was really welcomed by everyone. I threw myself into the culture by going diving, fishing, shooting and boxing and I loved the whole place. When I left I missed it.”
His dozen games in a Highlander jersey also taught him much about the Kiwi rugby psyche which his Lions team-mates would do well to listen to. He suspects many visiting players, for example, underestimate the all-consuming nature of the national sport. “Everybody in New Zealand wants to be an All Black; they just have such a desire to have the ball in hand and to play touch from a very early age,” he said. “In the UK rugby’s down the pecking order.”
Haskell was reassured to discover, even so, that not all New Zealand rugby players are supermen; they just play a different type of rugby. “My experience of Super 15 dispelled a few things I was led to believe from the media, from TV and from watching highlight reels.
“ I think to a man we’re probably bigger than these guys but athletically they’re a different kind. In New Zealand there’s always another cab off the rank. Just when you think you’ve seen the best thing, there’s another one. Super Rugby is a very different league but it would be interesting to see what would happen if you put some of those teams in the Premiership. Kingsholm on a February rainy day in the mud, for example, with relegation and everything else involved.”
The Lions, either way, have less than a fortnight to finalise the best way to derail the All Black machine and Haskell believes the solution is no secret. “Against New Zealand you have to be super-disciplined, very direct in what you’re doing. You have to play for the full 80 minutes and you have to execute everything at the top of your game. What they do is not rocket science: it’s executing with speed, intensity and accuracy. They consistently do it for 80 minutes. Turn your back and they’ve got the skill set to punish you. Everyone knows what to do but it’s another thing getting out on the field and delivering it. It’s not about containment.”
Dominating physically is clearly another prerequisite – “You have to impose yourself on these teams; I’m not saying it’s the go-to but it’s certainly part of what we’re trying to do” – and Haskell, despite having four staples inserted in his head after being caught by a team-mate’s elbow during the warm-up to his Lions debut against the Blues on Wednesday, is not about to settle for an indefinite midweek role. “The moment I got here I wanted to compete for a Test spot like everybody else. I’m just not built to sit here and have coffees, I want to push myself as hard as I can.”
If, furthermore, there are young players at home wondering if a spell playing abroad might be worthwhile, Haskell advises them to pack their bags immediately. “I’m a firm believer that you only learn from playing and really testing yourself. If you’re sitting around not doing anything, get a plane ticket and come and play wherever you can.” As his career has conclusively demonstrated, those who venture the furthest from their comfort zone often gain the most.
