Top 14 The 'English invasion' gathers pace in France but is no guarantor of success
A trickle is turning into a torrent of English stars, departing their clubs for the delights of France but bumps in the road await
James Haskell is one of England’s greatest rugby players. Throughout his distinguished career, he was capped 77 times by England and he went on the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand, where the team recorded an impressive draw against the All Blacks.
Haskell was born on 2 April 1985 in Berkshire. Even from a young age, he was a highly-skilled player. He first played for Maidenhead Rugby Club, but it wasn’t long before he attracted the attention of Wasps. He joined their highly successful Colts set up in 2002 before joining the first team, where he would remain until 2009. During his time at the club, James Haskell appeared for Wasps on almost 100 occasions, winning both the Heineken Champions Cup and the Premiership.
Following his first stint with Wasps, James Haskell represented a number of different teams, including Stade Français, the Ricoh Black Rams and the Highlanders. However, he returned to Wasps once more in 2013 and played in another 100 games for the club between 2013 and 2018. He finally retired as a member of the Northampton Saints in 2019.
Over the course of his distinguished career, James Haskell played almost 300 games of rugby union in top-flight competitions around the world. He also became an established international player for England, regularly featuring in the Six Nations Championship. On top of this, he was also involved in England’s World Cup squads in both 2011 and 2015.
James Haskell has remained busy ever since he ended his professional career. He recently signed for Bellator as a mixed martial artist and he appeared in the 19th series of British reality television show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! He’s also published a number of books and regularly works as a podcast host.
Will the ghosts of Le Crunches past haunt Fabien Galthie's team in transition on a red-hot Saturday night in Lyon?