Haskell’s Dublin revenge mission

JAMES HASKELL will return to the scene of England’s Grand Slam-ending defeat by Ireland next week as he bids to ‘bury some demons’ and claim a European Champions Cup semi-final spot.

The Wasps flanker suffered his second heartbreak at the Aviva Stadium with England last Saturday — after missing out on a Six Nations clean sweep in 2011 under Martin Johnson — as Ireland ended Eddie Jones’s world-record equalling winning run with a 13-9 victory.

Haskell’s twice-champion club Wasps will take on three-times winners Leinster in Dublin next Saturday, when he could potentially go up against 10 of the Ireland squad who inflicted international defeat last week.

‘It’s always nice to get a second bite of the cherry,’ Haskell said. ‘You don’t normally get that. It would be nice to go and have a rematch with them for England but sadly that’s not how it works. But to go over there with Wasps, who have that history in Europe, against Leinster, who’ve also got that, there’ll be plenty of players just swapping the Ireland shirt for the Leinster one. If I get selected it will be nice to go over there and bury some demons. I’ve won a couple of games there but I’m pretty sure I’ve lost more.’

Haskell will be joined in club colours next Saturday by England squad-mates Joe Launchbury, Elliot Daly and Tommy Taylor after they were rested for today’s Aviva Premiership clash with Worcester.

‘I’ve got faith in [Wasps director of rugby] Dai Young and his coaching staff in how the club’s going,’ Haskell said. ‘It takes a special team to go on and win silverware. Just as the England team will learn from Dublin, your club side learns from experiences as well.

‘I was spoilt here early on in my career by the silverware we won and we haven’t done it for a while. That’s what really matters in rugby. Winning and lifting silverware. Anyone who tells you otherwise is talking nonsense.’