Haskell to settle club-v-country row
Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:25
Stade and England flank James Haskell
England flank James Haskell is hoping to put an end to the club-v-country row that erupted between the national side and his French Top 14 club, Stade Francais during the recent Six Nations tournament.
Haskell was recently left out of Stade Francais’ Heineken Cup quarterfinal loss to Toulouse, and now the 25 year-old wants to hold clear-the-air talks with controversial club president Max Guazzini.
The problem started when the Rugby Football Union rejected Stade Français' request to have Haskell released for their 'classico' match against Toulouse in the French Top 14, saying they were 'under no obligation to release him.'
Under an agreement between their clubs and the Rugby Football Union (RFU), England's players do not play domestically during the Six Nations competition.
However, Stade president Max Guazzini said that no such agreement exists between the French federation and the club, leaving Haskell free to play.
Haskell decided to remain with England, infuriating Guazzini and the club and resulting in him being left out for the crucial European clash.
Now the loose-forward hopes to broker a peace deal between the club and his country, as he remains fully committed to both.
"I was gutted to miss out on the quarterfinal,” he told frenchrugbyclub.com, "There are some issues that have to be sorted out with Stade and I have got a meeting coming up which will achieve that.”
"There has been a bit of a misinterpretation and we need to resolve it because there is obviously an issue.”
Haskell has made it clear that he is happy in France and wants to remain a Stade player, but with the World Cup just over a year away, he understandably is compelled to put his national interests first.
"I love the club and we have to make sure that we work it out. I have just turned 25 and my career is very important to me. I'm also very loyal to Stade Français.
I love playing for them and I've done so 24 times this season, which is almost every game I could play apart from the ones I missed on international duty.
"I've given everything I can to the club this year, but international rugby is the most important thing. It's what I want to achieve and it's what I want to keep on achieving until I'm no longer required, my body can't cope, or someone better comes along."
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