Entrepreneur, author, social media firebrand, TV presenter, DJ, barista, dumper truck enthusiast, oh, and elite rugby player – James Haskell does as much heavy lifting off the field as he has playing in the Red Rose of England. Men’s Health spent an entirely normal 48 hours with him. It was exhausting.
"Not long ago, a guy walked up to me in the street. He goes: ‘You’re James Haskell. I used to think you were a right dick. But you played really well on that Australia tour. So now I think you’re alright!’ I mean, what am I supposed to do with that?”
James Haskell is alright at rugby. He has 70 caps for England, with this month’s Six Nations set to add to that. Having won the rugby premiership with London Wasps, he travelled the world to play for Stade Français in France, the Highlanders in New Zealand and the Ricoh Black Rams in Japan. Returning to Wasps in 2012, he was part of the then England coach Stuart Lancaster’s squad for the home World Cup three years later. There he was left on the bench as the underperforming team made an early exit from their own party.
Yet under current coach Eddie Jones, Haskell is playing better than ever; a hard-tackling, self-sacrificial cornerstone in the 2016 Six Nation’s grand slam. He put his 6ft 4in, 19st body on the line to such devastating effect on the tour of Australia a few months later that his red scrum-cap became a symbol of a resurgent Northern Hemisphere. And with a British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand in the summer, this year could set the glittering crown on an already lustrous career.
Right now, James Haskell is standing on a Crewe station platform at 8.25pm on a chilly Wednesday night. An hour previously he was at the clubhouse of Crewe and Nantwhich RFC, speaking in front of an audience of 50-odd people before signing copies of his self-published book on rugby fitness. The crowd was mostly made up of balding men in fleeces and their pre-teen sons, seemingly all of whom asked for selfies after the talk.
“I’m glad you’re here to see this,” he says, gesturing to the station behind him. “To see how weird my life is sometimes. Normally, I do all this stuff on my own.
This story is from the March 2017 edition of Men's Health UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2017 edition of Men's Health UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Every Question You Ever Had About Really Eating Well
Nutrition is a maddening business. Foods are in one day, compost the next; vitamins that cured ills last week are promptly debunked. We all want to eat better, but who has the time to sift fact from fad? Rest easy because this is your easily digestible, bite-sized guide to doing precisely that
The False Prophets Of Wellness
Muscle, fat loss, wisdom… Whatever you seek, there is now an entrepreneurial guru armed with hashtags who claims to have the answer. But is it gospel?
The Brexit Diet
Whether you voted Leave or Remain, the EU has transformed the way we eat – and crashing out threatens to deal a mighty blow to both our palates and our nutritional health. MH spoke to the experts worried that the true impact of Brexit will leave a very bad taste in our mouths.
Stamina? It's As Easy As Pie
Don’t flake on post-workout pastry. Pie and mash is your new performance enhancer
The Trip Treatment
Once the poison of the counterculture, psychedelic drugs are gaining credibility as a powerful, viable mental health tool that could transform the way we understand ourselves. Are you ready to turn on, tune in and dose up?
The Gastropub Nutrition Plan
New research suggests you don’t need to cut back on flavour either to satisfy your cravings or to cook off kilos. Better pass that piccalilli
Your Detox Doner Card
The vilified sat fat in your kebab is actually the antidote to offset booze’s impact on your liver. How convenient
Reach For The Stars
He has crossed the Atlantic, from Peckham to Hollywood, carrying multiple blockbusters on his newly broad shoulders. But while John Boyega’s star is in the ascendant, his feet remain firmly on the ground – thanks to a few fundamental life lessons learned along the way. Take note and look up.
One Word Answer #43
As tedious as they might have seemed at the time, most of the lessons our parents taught us as kids were worthy of adherence. Sit up straight at the table; look people in the eye when you thank them; try not to spit at strangers – even as an adult, these are values to live by.
Son Of A Gun
For most men, joining the family business is the easier option. Not so for Scott Eastwood, a man whose father might just be the most iconic Hollywood hard man ever. But while he is, in many ways, a chip off the old block, the firebrand’s son has his own life well figured out
