Haskell sad to leave Highlanders
04th July 2012

Highlanders loose forward James Haskell admits that he is sad that his stint with the Dunedin-based franchise is coming to an end.

Although the Highlanders still have an outside chance of making the play-offs it is highly unlikely to occur.

They are are in ninth position on the table with 45 points from 15 matches while the Hurricanes, Reds and Sharks - who they are vying with for the all important sixth position - all have 49 points from 14 matches played.

This means that a defeat in their final round robin match against the Reds in Brisbane on Friday could signal the end of their participation in this year's competition, although Haskell remains optimistic about his team's chances.

"It's sad that it's coming to a close although there's still an opportunity for us to qualify, which is important so we want to make sure we give a good account for ourselves in Brisbane to make sure that we finish on a high," he told Fairfax Media.

"Jamie Joseph has created a great atmosphere here and we want to make sure we do it justice," added Haskell.

The England international's stint with the Highlanders has seen him experiencing a mixed bag of emotions.

He started most of the early part of the campaign on the replacements bench as cover for John Hardie, on the flank, and then received a one-month suspension for punching during the Highlanders' victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.


However, his form was deemed good enough for an England call-up during the recent series against the Springboks in South Africa.


"It's probably one of the best rugby experiences I've had," Haskell said about his time with the Highlanders.

"I wish I could carry on for another season, but unfortunately if I want to carry on playing for England I have to be playing in the UK in the Premiership.

"If I ever got the opportunity to come back here I'd love to do it. The people of Dunedin have been fantastic and it's been great allround."

He said being part of the England squad and forcing his way into the final Test against the Springboks was a boost for his career.

"Stuart Lancaster gave me an opportunity I wasn't sure I was going to get for a little while," explained Haskell.

"To play 80 minutes against South Africa in Port Elizabeth was awesome. I think that's topped a really good rugby time for me."

After playing continuously for almost two years Haskell said that he is keen to take a break from the game.

"The body is beginning to creak, I'm not going to lie to you," revealed the 27-year-old who is expected to return to Wasps for next season's Aviva Premiership campaign.

"I could probably do with a rest and that's what I'm going to get once the job's done here, I'm going to try and take four or five weeks off."

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,2...868852,00.html