Quality performance more important than
JAMES Haskell insists England’s performance against Ireland will mean more to Eddie Jones’ squad than claiming back-toback Grand Slams and setting a newworldrecordforconsecutive Test wins.
England travel to Dublin today having already defended their Six Nations title with victory over Scotland last weekend, and a win against Ireland will see Jones’ men become the first side to claim successive Grand Slams since 1992.
Wasps flanker Haskell believes the implementation of Jones’ long-term plans for England supersedes the excitement of possibly eclipsing New Zealand’s record of 18 consecutive Test wins at the Aviva Stadium.
“I want to tell you that it (history) does have relevance but I’d just be lying to you,” Haskell said. “I think it does just in terms of headlines, great news reports, and excitement for fans. But when you’re in it, the most important thing is getting the result and getting the performance, playing the best you can.
“Yes, you have an awareness of these things and you always want to make sure you do the best you can. And if the best you can do is winning titles and winning records then that’s important.
“But the most important thing for all of us as a team is getting that performance and making sure that you leave the shirt in a better place than you found it.
“We will only celebrate if the job gets done as we want it to. We have a huge occasion against Ireland. It was great to get the performance against Scotland but there’s no point in celebrating when you’ve more to come.”
Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt will be without key