Overcoming adversity is all part of being an international sportsman but no one in the injury-strewn England squad has suffered more discomfort in the past fortnight than James Haskell. The Wasps flanker is back on his feet but, if he features against New Zealand next week, it will be a huge testament to the nurses and doctors at Charing Cross hospital who were treating him for suspected meningitis this time last week.
Only a few days before joining the England squad in Bagshot for this week’s training camp, Haskell was lying in a darkened room, unable to open his eyes, eat or drink. He lost 5kg and was required to undergo a lumbar puncture and numerous blood tests amid rising fears that he had contracted a potentially life-threatening virus.
The 29-year-old, fortunately, is still around to tell the vivid tale but says he will not forget the experience in a hurry. “I’ve never been that ill in my life. It was weird … it just came upon me. The Wasps doctor visited me at home and said: ‘There’s something wrong with you.’ I said: ‘We all know that but there’s something more wrong than normal.’”
After a further assessment at Princess Margaret hospital, Haskell was taken by ambulance to Charing Cross when staff became concerned at his slow rate of recovery. “Their big concern was that I had meningitis. That’s why they put me in an ambulance. They were saying: ‘You can’t mess around with that.’ They knew it wasn’t bacterial meningitis but they thought it might be the viral version because I had all the symptoms of it.
“So they took me to hospital and got me straight on to the antivirals and antibiotics. I got a little bit better but next day I hit rock bottom again. They weren’t sure what was going on so they did a lumbar puncture, took fluid out of my spine and conducted numerous blood tests.
“I lost about five kilos in a week. I wasn’t vomiting or suffering from diarrhoea, it was just fever and not eating. I couldn’t open my eyes because they were too sensitive to light. My lower back and my neck were also very stiff so I couldn’t really move out of bed at all. I spent hours lying in bed with a cold flannel on my head, in a dark room, on a drip, not eating or drinking. It was a case of man down, really.”
Haskell was released from hospital on Friday and remains hopeful he can still win a place in England’s matchday squad for the All Blacks fixture. “I would be extremely disappointed if my illness had a factor in whether I am involved or not. I have only missed one session outside. I don’t want to overextend myself because you can push yourself over the edge and be ill for ages but every day I am doing a little bit more. I am sure when I am back in what I would call full training mode I will pick the weight up pretty quickly. I am still 114kg. It is not like I am small.
“The only thing I can say is that, if I get into a full training session and I suddenly can’t cope with it, then I will be the first to put my hand up. If you are trying to muddle through, especially at international level, you are going to get caught out pretty quick. I know I don’t play particularly well unless I am 100%. I need that energy to play the type of game I want to play but I don’t foresee it as being an issue.”
Stuart Lancaster said he wants to involve as many players as possible in a full-contact session this Thursday before the England head coach finalises his starting XV to face New Zealand on Saturday week.
Unless Haskell is able to participate fully, the management may well opt not to consider him for selection until the game against South Africa the following week.
