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James Haskell said he will happily take a pay cut to extend his England career as far as the 2019 World Cup, insisting that he considers the reward on offer in Japan a more lucrative proposition than a bumper contract overseas.
Haskell will leave Wasps after 12 years across two spells in May and he is yet to find a new club. If he does not stay in the Premiership his international career will effectively be over, considering Eddie Jones will be reluctant to pick him from the Championship and will not be able to do so if Haskell moves abroad.
The 32-year-old has been linked with Northampton and Bristol but his situation is complicated by the fact that the more England involvement he has, the less attractive a proposition he is for potential teams. Premiership clubs get some compensation if England pick their players but there are cheaper alternatives elsewhere who will not miss large chunks of the season during international windows.
Haskell’s determination to appear at a third World Cup is fierce, however, so much so that he is happy to accept a reduced wage – he is thought to be on somewhere in the region of £250,000 a year – to keep his dream alive. Asked if he would accept a lower salary, his response was definitive: “100%. You have to look at what is important to you, what your priorities are and my priority is to try to be in this England squad going towards a World Cup in Japan.
“It would essentially be a dream come true. It’s a massive challenge but there would be a big pot of gold at the end of that rainbow. My priority is to stay in the Premiership. I’m fully aware if I go outside of that, then it’s game over. They are not going to make a dispensation for me, sadly.”
To ram home the point, Haskell highlighted his short stint in Super Rugby with the Highlanders in 2012 when he claimed to “earn less than most Premiership academy players”‚ who can earn no more than £30,000 a year. “In Super 15 I earned next to nothing,” he said. “It was about going there and having an opportunity. You have got to weigh things up, you want to go to a place that is competitive. I don’t want to go to a place and not perform or not get better as a player. I just don’t enjoy that.”
Haskell’s problem is accentuated by the fact he has not played for England since last year’s Six Nations and he has seen Sam Underhill and Sam Simmonds leapfrog him in the pecking order. A four-week suspension for a dangerous tackle on Jamie Roberts ruled him out of facing Italy or Wales but he is available for the match against Scotland on 24 February and pushing for a place in the matchday 23 with Simmonds injured and Nathan Hughes a risk considering he has managed only 90 minutes in the past three months.
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“I’m sure there’s always a taxi waiting,” Haskell said. “Eddie always jokes he’s got my P45 in his pocket, laminated, ready to be given to me. I’ve made peace with the fact that it is going to end at some point but I still believe that I’ve got a lot to give.
“The ideal scenario is you do as Richie McCaw, Ma’a Nonu and Dan Carter did, win a World Cup and finish on your own terms. How many players get to do that? Very few. As long as I keep getting invited in, do what I’m doing, well I’ll have the time of my life.”
Haskell took part in an open training session at Twickenham on Friday, in front of 10,000 fans, along with Anthony Watson, who was expected to be rested until next week. But Joe Launchbury and Owen Farrell, who is also recovering from injury – the details of which have not been revealed – were also absent from the session, which was watched by Prince Harry.
“We’ve had a different week this week,” the defence coach Paul Gustard said. “A few guys have been on different programmes just to freshen them up for next weekend.”