Lions calling Haskell reveals moment coach Gatland phoned to fulfil his childhood dream
Back row to fulfil ‘dream’ after replacing Vunipola I am devastated for Billy, England player admits
‘I saw I had a missed call from Warren. I was in the car and everyone was like, Pull over, pull over’
James Haskell was having lunch at a restaurant in the Midlands on Sunday afternoon with his parents and partner, Chloe Madeley, when the call from Warren Gatland came through. Haskell missed it, a rare lapse from a man whose finger is normally on every pulse.
The oversight was soon rectified, his car pulling over to the side of the road so Haskell could take the news that he thought he would never hear. He had spoken to Billy Vunipola that very morning in a catch-up chat between mates. It was only at the end that Vunipola let slip that his shoulder was banged up, but he gave no indication even then that he would be forced to withdraw from the tour.
The selection means a lot to the Wasps’ back-rower. A few weeks ago Haskell was speaking in rueful terms about his career not hitting the highest of peaks, “a good player but not a great one”, if he were destined never to be selected for the Lions, consigned to the foothills rather than ascending to rugby’s Mount Rushmore.
Yet here was the moment of affirmation. It was a bittersweet feeling, with sympathy for his good friend mixed with delight at the summons and wariness of getting distracted from Saturday’s Aviva Premiership final.
“It came out of the blue,” said Haskell. “Up until 4pm on Sunday I was just going to be a Lions fan from afar. I had gone for food with my missus and parents when I picked up the phone and saw I’d got a missed call from Warren. ‘Woah, I wonder what that’s about?!’
“I was in the car and everyone was like, ‘Pull over, pull over’. We had a chat and that was it. I was like, ‘Yes, please sir.’ In Lions’ terms, I’m like the academy kid. I’m devastated for Billy. I obviously texted him to express my sorrow at the news and hoped he was OK. He was very matter-of-fact about it.
“Billy has great faith and said that God had a plan for everyone. It’s a huge loss for the Lions squad because he has been playing some incredible rugby.
“I’m very honoured. It has been a childhood dream. I had made my peace that it wasn’t going to happen. Now I have been given that lifeline, although it’s no good just being on the tour and collecting the kit. You want to fight for that Test place. That’s when you’re truly a Lion. First, though, I just want to make sure that I do well for Wasps this weekend.
“When I was younger I thought finals grew on trees, but they don’t.”
Haskell admits that his only knowledge of the Lions has been gleaned from second-hand accounts. What the 32-year-old does have over most in the squad is direct experience of New Zealand, having played for Super Rugby side Otago Highlanders for a season after a stint in Japan in the wake of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Haskell knows exactly what is coming the way of the Lions from the moment they touch down in Auckland next week. “Of all the places to go New Zealand is one of the toughest,” said Haskell, who proved his worth by forcing his way into the side, one of the very few foreigners to make the grade in a New Zealand franchise.
“Wherever you go everyone gives you a haka. They say they’re welcoming you but it seems everyone’s offering you out for a fight, from the kids aged five to the OAPS. They live and breathe their rugby.
“I love their passion. Everyone wants to be an All Black, it is a place where rugby is No1 priority. They’re very insular about their rugby stuff. Once they realised I was playing for the Highlanders – which is quite a diehard New Zealand team, all about traditional stuff, like farmers, country, shooting, fishing, diving, hunting, that sort of thing – and doing all right, I got respect from them then.”
Haskell has earned respect round the globe, for his all-enveloping play as well as for his ebullient personality, irritating to some but often masking a genuinely warm and enthusiastic bloke.
He is still battling his way back towards the sort of form that made him such a feature of England’s Grand Slam season last year following eight months on the sidelines with a foot injury.
Wasps’ director of rugby, Dai Young, who went on three Lions tours, has no doubt that Haskell will be an asset. “He will be an excellent tourist because you need players with character on a Lions tour,” he said.
“You need someone that can drag the boys through tough times. James has got that naturally positive mentality.
“He keeps everyone laughing, whether it’s at him or with him. Hask gets a bad rap at times but he is so important to a squad and is great for the environment. It would have been a real shame if he had never been a Lion.”
Young revealed that Australia international Kurtley Beale is unlikely to recover from the hamstring injury that forced him off in the semi-final in time for Saturday’s final against Exeter, but that No8 Nathan Hughes, who rolled an ankle, is expected to be fit.