The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Haskell stresses performance above records
James Haskell insists England’s performance against Ireland will mean more to Eddie Jones’ squad than claiming back-to-back Grand Slams and setting a world record for consecutive Test wins.
England travel to Dublin today having already defended their RBS 6 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 thrill 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.
“Yes, you have an awareness of these things and you always want to make sure you do the best you can do. 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 out in the weekend and making sure that you leave the shirt in a better place than you found it.”
Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt will be without key trio Conor Murray, Devin Toner and Rob Kearney, but Haskell does not feel those absences will change their preparation for the game.
“We know what Ireland are going to do, how physical they’re going to be, where they’re going to compete around the park.
“It’s really important to implement our game. Yes, there’ll be a sprinkle of some unknown, there’ll be some trick plays, there always is against everybody.
“But the most important thing is that if you’re well-drilled, if you deliver what you can do with the intensity and passion that we’ve had with training this week and these whole eight weeks, then things will go your way.
“It’s a very difficult place to go to. We’ve won games there, we’ve lost games there, we’ve lost Grand Slam decider games there. It’s a huge occasion for everyone in the squad.”