Haskell's Paris match

Sky Sports News' Gail Davis catches up with James Haskell and unearths the other Dean Richards!

Haskell happy in the strange world of Stade Francais

With James Haskell it was never going to be a case of out of sight out of mind. If he'd been at all worried a quick glance at "La Boutique" at Stade Francais would have reassured him. It screams pink, it screams 'look at me!'. Stade Francais isn't just in a different country, the club is in a different world. The marketing genius of president Max Guazzini has made sure of that. It started with pink, then came the flowers, the 90's tie-dye effect, lightening bolts and now a lady's face emblazoned across the chests of some of the biggest stars in world rugby. Add that to a best-selling calendar 'The Gods of Stade', which pictures greased-up naked rugby stars with strategically placed balls and you have a club that people take notice of the world over and with clever ticket pricing people are desperate to come and watch. Sounds like quite the life for a young free single man, a man whose ambitions include making Heat Magazine's 'Torso of the Week', but you may be surprised to hear that the decision to join Stade Francais was, says James, the most difficult of his life. To stay at Wasps was the easy, safe option but at 24 and having by his own admission not performed to his potential last season, James decided he needed a new challenge.

Silverware

He needed to get out of London and throw himself into a new life and with it he hopes regain his England place. For all those who said he was going to get lost in the Paris nightlife, he points out the gruelling training schedule and hours of French lessons each day means he hasn't made it out past 10.00pm yet. James is well aware that Stade have been criticised for being a side that puts style over substance; where else would the president advised you to wear a scrum cap that doesn't clash with the shirt, but there's a fierce determination amongst the players to prove those doubters wrong and win some silverware. Twitter and Skype have kept James in touch with rugby's 'Summer of Scandal' there were plenty of people at the Premiership launch last week who wouldn't have preferred to be watching from afar too, as Bloodgate dominated the proceedings? There really is no escape from it. Even at the referee fitness testing on Sunday in Eton, who should be there but Dean Richards? Not the Dean Richards but the referee who'll take charge of Harlequins game against Wasps on Saturday at Twickenham. Somebody somewhere has a cruel sense of humour. Wasps head coach Shaun Edwards fears his side could be on the end of a Harlequins backlash on Saturday. They may not have a Director of Rugby but the squad Dean Richards built, that came so close to glory last year, have a belief they can go all the way to the Premiership Final this year. They certainly looked impressive in their final warm-up game against Championship side Cornish Pirates on Saturday scoring seven tries. The welcome from some of the Quins fans was, though, less than warm in fact in some quarters it was very chilly. It seems they believe the whole Bloodgate affair has been a media witch-hunt against the club.

Entertaining

Saracens' bizarre blend of pre-season preparations culminated in camel racing across Tower Bridge this week in a bid to promote their game against Northampton at Wembley next weekend. By then they'll be hoping the club has a number one to its name after their collaboration with Right Said Fred, Stand up for the Saracens, is released this week. Sport and music rarely go well together and all I'm saying about it is let's hope Saracens front row puts on a better show at Twickenham against London Irish this weekend! Sunday's armchair viewing should prove highly entertaining. After surviving their first season back in the Premiership and ending the season with a European Challenge Cup trophy this is a big year for Northampton and an even bigger year for their fly-half Stephen Myler. Myler, a former player with St Helens, Salford and Widnes is part of Rugby League aristocracy, his great uncle Frank Myler was the last man to captain an Ashes winning Great Britain team in Australia. Myler swapped codes when he joined the Saints almost three years ago and was expected to sneak his way into England's Elite Squad this season. Instead Martin Johnson named only one fit fly-half in Jonny Wilkinson but after starting ahead of Danny Cipriani on this summer's Saxons tour, Myler knows a good start to this campaign might see him in Johnson's squad for the Autumn internationals. One of his best attributes according to his Director of Rugby Jim Mallinder is that he likes to go about his business quietly - how that contrasts with his Wasps rival for England's number 10 shirt.