James Haskell on World Cups, Nightclubs & Rory Best - Good Bad Rugby Podcast #7

Alex Payne, James Haskell and Mike Tindall put the rugby world to rights as they discuss superstars, Saracens, semi-finals, and locked out spectators. And then ahead of publication of his autobiography, James reveals for the first time what really happened with Martin Johnson and Stuart Lancaster at consecutive World Cups, the nightmare of the New Zealand maid, the infamous Altitude Nightclub incident and how he almost killed Rory Best. "I'll save that for the book" just became a reality.
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[@keithedwards9423]

As much as I enjoy the guests that have been on, I also enjoy it when it’s just the three amigos. Great show as usual gents. Keep them coming....

[@rugbygareth1612]

Gentlemen! Another, yet again, fantastic episode! All I can say is over this past eight to nine months my respect for James Haskell has grown so much and please, please whatever you gave him for this episode, give it to him week after week!

[@clownhoof]

Big Hask fan. Such a complex fellow with lots of layers to him. Really enjoyed the show. Hope the book does well.

[@GoodBadRugby]

Thanks for watching!

[@matthewmillar9412]

Love how people r so critical at Hask but the true fact is, he gets the point clear and proves so many people wrong. Love for Hask ❤️

[@Derekduval963]

Absolutely fantastic. Considering he has a book out he revealed a lot. Open,honest and explicit. Could listen all night.

[@fayyaadhnaidoo9323]

The humble nature of the game of rugby as well as the players is the reason the players arent that well known. The lack of arrogance and ego's makes the game special

[@KahunaGamingTV]

Superb conversation about rugby superstars - the fact that Ashton couldn't do a dive when he scored is horrendous and a lot of what should be left in the past. How many kids score a goal and do a Ronaldo celebration - create superstars that kids want to be.

[@StevieMadog]

This is getting better every week last 2 were good keep it comming

[@diggoryslee8584]

Haskell was definitely talking about Sam Burgess speaking out about Mike Ford and Lancaster selection tactics when he didn't want to bring up which story it was! At least we know it's all true now... Just speculating, but that is what springs to mind when putting it into context about everything else that's been said in relation to 2015, etc!

[@theragingbull7311]

I’m the president off the Haskell fan club . Such great chat , him and tinsel are great for putting me to sleep at night .

[@thekiwimountaingoat500]

Best show ever, love the honesty its so nice to see compared to the bland PR media crap that is normally out there

[@weightsandcakes2604]

Great to have Hask back this week and even better to have more time hearing from him. Such a funny guy, always has me in stitches! 👏🏻

[@64jkn]

Really like James Haskell , comes off really well , Good On you ,from an Irish ☘️ fan

[@holdthephoneblocker]

Hasks explanation of why people like The Good, The Bad & The Rugby is exactly why I like this show. Relevant, honest chat without the waffle that you get in the papers. Getting tired of the pessimistic outlook that is delivered from journos in both hemispheres. This could very well be the way rugby news is consumed going forward. And I won't complain if it is.

[@mjt.3565]

Well said.!!

[@ewengarrod2198]

What Hask said about people wanting to know the players and storylines off the pitch is absolutely right. I've enjoyed F1 so much more since Drive To Survive it's untrue and the same's true of boxing since IFL et al.

[@MrWarrensimmons]

I have enjoyed F1 less since seeing how Hamilton comes across as a bit of a knob. Talented, fast but still a knob.

[@salan3507]

Especially funny stories and quirks of the players. A while ago I read the book by the ABs Cory Jane and he had funny stories about just about everyone on the team at the time, which made it a great read.

[@amycichowski5320]

Love Haskell’s comments about coaching types. The old-school critical and demoralizing and demeaning type is Ill effective. Has been for some time. Glad he brought that to the forefront.

[@robertfoster1730]

I can't wait to read this. Preferably listen as he self narrates it as well which is a massive bonus. For any audiobook

[@jaynedavis3655]

Awesome pod , can't wait to get the book 📚

[@MrFranKane]

It'll be one of the first books Ive bought or read in 20 odd years cant wait to read it

[@fleshen]

As a Welshman hated Hasks but respected him as a player. As a celeb/broadcaster ... he's a great listen, but he's still got that "It's us against the world" Attitude!! Love it!

[@garyrees736]

Being a Welsh man my perception of Hask was one of disgust purely on the media portrayal of him of turning Wales down for England etc, BUT and a massive but, I absolutely adore the man, he is a very complex character and i actively follow him and really enjoy his character. Well done Hask, even pre ordered my first ever book. Excellent.

[@andrewmorcom5359]

Nice to hear James talk about himself for a change...😂😂😂😂......brilliant video yet again boys

[@michaeldoughty1782]

Great cast guy's, love Hask when he is full flow stories.

[@albinsunny6493]

Excellent podcast!!

[@leverdusoleiluk]

Love the painting behind Alex, Alex can you give us any info on this please? Thank you.

[@EdT-hj5rp]

Parrise next week, looking forward to it!

[@laurencepiper]

Finally an interesting interview

[@diggoryslee8584]

I thought that Cipriani's dugie dance in Super Rugby and Ioane's 'turtle' celebrations were pretty iconic at their time

[@rbqwerty866]

Petition for Owen Farrell as the Christmas special guest!

[@jeremyscott491]

Great show as ever. 23.15, Hasks greatest and funniest rant ever

[@Henstar001]

Awesome insight into book. Buying it... was going to anyway. Though you've had your eyebrows styled. Potential for a lion in panto now, just a curly afro wig. Humour...

[@neillairdofglencairn7216]

Great show

[@ac2244]

Alex Payne the only one who makes an effort!!! Shirt is sexy!!!

[@danielnorrie9978]

I think rugby clubs should be more active on social media to get youngsters on the ball with it

[@indigosafaris189]

I didn't know Alex Payne had a penchant for cross-dressing. Fair play to him for putting it on his twitter handle.

[@robjenkins3471]

This pod carries rugby.

[@mattalison316]

Will buy in South Africa when it comes out!

[@lukerichards6266]

Fantastic Haskell such a fan great honesty top bloke 🤙🍺

[@henrys4852]

You need to start giving Hask an electric shock every time he gets 20 seconds into a rant...

[@robertfoster1730]

One USP rugby does have above any other team sport IMO is it's ability to offer a specialist position to any shape or size. It's inclusive potential is unrivaled. That should be leveraged.

[@jackcolton4086]

Spot on

[@86sfar]

Excellent point mate.

[@robertfoster1730]

Hask makes great points re getting rugby on the global stage... And the limitations currently in existence. I would take a step back also before answering the question.... What's the WHY behind trying to get rugby on the global stage.... Is it to drive more revenue? Via more spectators fans and what comes with it? If so.... What would the additional revenue bring? And how would it improve what we have now? Equally what are the risks? Does more revenue mean there's a greater gap between the top clubs and the bottom? Or a diluted loyalty from players to their nation like we've seen in football with mufc and England? Could we better trying to identify alternative methods to generate more revenue and also apply it to nations that need it first... Like Fiji et al rather than throw more into the existing big clubs and in turn broadening the gap... I assume it's a combination of revenue and entertainment... And in that case it should be done by attracting more business backing, with protection around distribution to drive the international stage and close the competitive gap... Fund Fiji, Samoa etc. We have a relatively blank canvas... Let's use it not just replicate existing sports like football (American or English) as they aren't the perfect model either ...

[@gamingnot1016]

Does anyone know if tinds messaged Johnny? Cant wait to read the book could listen to stories from hask all day, could do with a few former wasps guys on with hask and watch the mayhem unfold.

[@robertfoster1730]

Hask is a legend. The end.

[@wesleyselkridge2197]

Rugby's issues that stop it from being a more global sport are: 1. It's too complicated. 2. It's seen as too middle class. It's not easy enough for the lay person to understand unlike football. It's not easy enough for kids to just play an impromptu game unlike football. It's seen as a home counties public school boys game by most which puts many off. It's seen as too rough by many parents so they don't want their little darlings playing. Not sure how rugby gets past these deep seated issues.

[@joeharrington1177]

Agree with the impromptu game and that is the most important one IMO. I don't think it is that complicated. I think Rugby's issue is it's ability or willingness to market itself or get itself out there to those who think it is. It's almost like a "well they should come to us and learn" rather than the other way round.

[@adamscottreval]

One of the differences with Football or Basketball is that they are a lot less physical/aggressive games. So superstars in those sports throw testosterone around outside the sport. Rugby players get their aggression out on the field so the interesting characters tend to be chilled out jokers rather than bravado, think Honeybadger, Ardie Savea, etc. It's just a different type of media character.

[@drewrogers7561]

NICE!

[@recruitmentwebsites]

Hask is a legend to me, and far to critical of himself.

[@ac2244]

That fox story had my dying 😂.

[@fraserposford144]

Hask made the point about the 2015 World Cup that I've been saying even during the tournament. England were in a really tough group against a fired up Australia and Wales and really, Wales shouldn't have been in that group to begin with but due to a rankings drop around the time of the draw, that's where they ended up. Losing to both of them was a very real possibility and hardly a shock but the media went absolutely berserk and blasted the team for losing two very difficult games. I feel sorry for Stuart Lancaster as he did a fantastic job rebuilding the team from the Johnson era and I actually believe his 2015 side would beat Johnson's 2011 side if they played. As Eddie said on his episode, Stuart laid a lot of the foundations for his tenure as coach so it's upsetting that Lancaster's only legacy will be that World Cup and the losses against two very good teams.

[@fraserposford144]

@wildebest that's quite a paragraph you wrote there but I guess we agree on some things and we disagree on some other things? From what you're saying, you also don't think it should be considered a shock that England got knocked out in the group stage in 2015 but don't rate Lancaster in 2015 that highly as opposed to now? I'll admit that Stuart wasn't perfect and definitely made mistakes in 2015 (taking Burgess off early vs Wales was definitely am error in hindsight, although picking him for the squad was also a mistake too, funny eh?) but he really didn't deserve the flogging he got in the media. Playing two quarter final/semi final quality matches is never going to be easy. The reason I rate Lancaster so highly is that the rugby under Johnson was pretty dire, picking players based on their reputation or club rather than form, never really getting near winning a 6 nations till 2011. The quality of Johnson's players was reflected in the 2009 Lions selections in which there was a pretty low English turnout compared to 2013 and 2017. While Stuart couldn't quite England over the line at any point, he put them in the places to compete more than Johnson did and I imagine those experiences of coming close but not quite winning were valuable for those who then played for Eddie after him. Not saying he's amazing, as you've pointed out, he's not on Eddie's level but I do think Stuart did a better job than what he's credited with, especially when you compare him to Johnson and Robinson before him.

[@paulhunter4738]

I love this guy, says it as it is, polarises opinion, has got to the top, but I could have a beer with him and probably laugh myself to death. Oh, and he is ex Maidenhead so always the man. Keep it going, your a lege.

[@michaelsharod6372]

Hask is a continuous fidget. He works out throughout the show, twitching his nose, flexing his arms, drinking out of a barrel. He just can't keep still. Read little bits of the book in the Telegraph, it's a must read!

[@jamesross3902]

All this talk of entertainers and crowd pleasers yet Finn Russell never gets a mention he truly looks to take risks and entertain

[@georgewhite2137]

@1:09:35 must be about Sean O’Brien and his lions comments

[@tomgriffin6995]

What about Mike Phillips? He was a fantastic character, player and acted arrogant. Most players then said he was really nice and different to the person he portrayed/was on the pitch.

[@amycichowski5320]

Glad to hear Haskell’s Viewpoint on the old-school way of coaching; which is ill effective in this day and age.

[@cybertrophic]

Rugby struggles because national teams often won’t select players who play overseas, so great players are often only seen inside their own country until a few make a World Cup team once every four years, so stars are often totally unknown overseas - Jonah was an icon because he made front page news. Stupidly, the PlayStation rugby game probably helped, as it was decent and played globally, every copy carrying a picture of Jonah on it. Without breakout stars (the crossovers to NFL, or even into general media), the only way to elevate any player to “global”status, which the sport really does need to bring wider recognition for casual fans to fix on, the game will remain parochial and niche. What would really change the sport would be getting rugby NCAA accreditation for colleges in the US - because they have all the funding and wealth of physical specimens who would be amazing, but they all want to get a college scholarship for Football, as it sets them up for life.

[@sashaneate744]

Would be good to dissect the video with times so we can skip to different sections

[@nathanegleton8821]

I think a series like all or nothing England rugby or lions would be good for the sport

[@patrickbartram5897]

the lions do make their own documentaries but yeah, a more mainstream one would be class for the sport

[@robertfoster1730]

People outside of rugby know the all blacks because of 2 things.... Jonah lomu and the haka... As per payno comment re Jonny and cips... Viewing figures are boosted by characters.... Just like boxing with Mayweather and McGregor... The game needs characters... If we are to focus on boosting viewing figures...

[@michaelharrison5564]

Hask looking very scandanavian tonight

[@Pedro-A-88]

For the love of God, Tindall and Haskell need to get decent microphones.

[@lupercal8997]

What the fuck? I've been checking Joe every day waiting for new podcasts and they're over here? What happened? xD

[@mjt.3565]

Where you been Pal?? #betterthanjoe

[@Henstar001]

We endevour to be heights of French/ NZ Pro Club model. Main sport, more modern innovation backing.

[@dfhughesbooks]

Mike "fires in the oven" Tindall

[@RK-hx1jr]

Why did Mike leave half way through ?

[@Tom-ig2vm]

Probably didn’t want to just hang around while Hask promoted his book. Plus probably didn’t want to be put in an awkward position about the Martin Johnson era

[@Janus_Icon]

1:20hr. 'nearly credible'...fucking hilarious!

[@robertfoster1730]

A media proposal next world cup... RFU set up its own media channel with exclusive access to England rugby team. They partner exclusively with a podcast; preferably this one who bid for the contract. They also get jack whitehall and some ex players Austin Healey et al. To provide player interviews. Controlling media and protection over players. Who in turn control the wider media narrative. Invite in for external interviews and controlled behind the scenes access when suits etc. The current lack of protection over our players is diabolical. They are not bad people and need to be able to focus on their performance. This 'wall' of security would help significantly and could be monetised too. It's an opportunity missed currently. Needs fixing. Immediately.

[@mikefraser5085]

was jonah lomu a global name outside rugby?

[@wilkinson83]

How many times did Hask touch his nose!!!

[@melkennedy101]

only when he wasnt being honest

[@GarethReecewood]

Gotta make sure there's no residue showing on camera

[@philipebbrell2793]

Hask proving that you should not be to swift to believe the media headlines or the story about those WC antics.

[@MrWarrensimmons]

Game and player analysis is great and I love the insights but once the money guys have got their hands on current and future ticket and tv revenues then there is another game going on which will ultimately have a bigger impact on teams - once again, look at Leeds without mentioning Newcastle Utd ...... Chelsea.... Liverpool......Man U....Man City..... So far rugby seems to have avoided the embrace of Russians, Arabs and Americans. Is that because they know something you are not talking about on your show???? Hmmmmm....

[@MrWarrensimmons]

@wildebest ok. Got that. But something doesn't quite stack up. The premiership and world cup were hyped and people seemed to be spending money on the back of it but it is not clear how TV rights monies were actually distributed and who really owns that income stream. Nobody makes enough money from ticket sales (leaving aside Twickehham maybe) - the crowd attendances on most televised matches showed that pre covid. It looks odd.

[@MrWarrensimmons]

Hask is right but it is too late. Real questions to talk about now are about the finances. Where is the money being generated and how is it split up? What is the likely impact of the Covid-19 restrictions? Proud football club with great histories like Leeds Utd got pounded when financing structures basically hocked future income from ticket sales and tv rights. God knows what minor league financiers, consultants and lawyers have dreamt up for some of the premier clubs.

[@Fifer01]

Semi Radradra, global superstar?

[@gileschenery974]

Are they ever going to mention how union took all the attention and kept it amateur for a century? That's probably the biggest reason rugby is so small.

[@jamesasher1320]

I love the fact that Hask has took it upon himself to set the press straight... it may be years too late but none the less they deserve to be set straight as well as the RFU needing to stick up for players

[@theragingbull7311]

as clubs will go bust without crowds in the next six months , new strategie ? Let amateurs play , No wages . Great craic . let the tired superstars rest . Then Wheel them back in six months later abit more rested and humble .

[@bulltraderpt]

Rob Andrews appears a bit of a cupid stunt. Yes Rob, you, you worm.

[@andrewburns3952]

Transcendent superstars in sports tend to be the best by far but mostly mavericks or flair player, see Maradona, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Jordan, etc. Unfortunately rugby tends to see those players as liabilities and go more for the trudging efficiency of game plans, see Farrell vs Cipriani, Quade Cooper vs Foley. Until the game adapts to let those players flourish then they won't get those superstars.

[@andrewburns3952]

I also agree with getting to know the person helps building support. I used to think Tyson Fury was a proper chopper but changed my mind when he opened up and became very honest, spoke his mind. Same with Lewis Hamilton and Mike Tyson.

[@fleshen]

Yeah you are right never thought about it like that!!! Cipriani should be a massive star with his skills, but those count against him in rugby background story and looks! Unfortunately all of count against him within rugby! Plus a few antics😁

[@jdart1975]

Chip off the old dad 😂

[@christopherhosty2577]

Itchy nuts James?

[@docredz3471]

Is easy 4 basket ball players 2 act like dik & have personalties coz they just bounce a ball . Rugby is hard enough u dont have 2 prove anything outside of the rugby field....

[@bm8725]

Sorry to point out the obvious but if Ronaldo showboated every time in front of the keeper just BEFORE scoring, he'd probably get criticised for it. Just sayin'. As for tall poppies, I think it's more a case that rugby is a sport with a no dickhead policy. Gavin Henson, Cips and Ashton are dickheads imho. If they'd learnt not to be, it wouldn't have effected their talent, it would just have meant that they could have used their talent without being a toxic distraction in the dressing room. It's not for the world to adapt to their dickheadishness. Same in the US by the way. Cips went to Oz and it didn't go well either. Too easy to imply that people in England were against him because of his success. There are plenty of other players who succeeded way more than him but they still had everyone's respect.

[@jep1912]

You're wrong. And herein lies the issue that none of you contemplated;... many top sportsmen are introverts. Don't brush all of them with want to play the social media bull* game. 'Confuse them with your silence, shock them with your actions.' Privacy is a right, don't castigate for seeking it chaps.