James Haskell

“I think as a professional sportsman you're aware that your time is limited.”

“Matches aren't won on the training field and there is no point flogging experienced campaigners unnecessarily.”

“If you get an opportunity to win any silverware you take it.”

“Going to a final and winning is the best thing in life, and it makes rugby no longer a job. It makes it fun.”

“We're removal men. It's hard labour. I've come to the conclusion being a forward is probably the worst thing in rugby. Looking at backs, they play kick and laugh, run and clap and we get absolutely flogged.”

“Trust me, Stade is not a comfortable place to be if you're losing, regardless of the venue.”

“People think of rugby players as being tough but it's another thing to stand in front of someone and get kicked, punched, taken down. In rugby you have two contact sessions a week and you play a game on the weekend.”

“Statistically, there have to be more gay men in rugby than we know about and I would hate for them to be going home from training and feeling depressed or feeling like they need to live a lie.”

“In my limited experience, you have to make your own decisions in life and experience things for yourself.”

“It's one thing to get beaten by a side who are a lot better than you, it's quite another to know you've thrown victory away in a game you should have won.”

“A lot of people make the error of thinking rugby is going to last forever and they need to quickly discover that that isn't the case.”

“To be the best in the Heineken Cup or the Top 14 you've got to win home and away.”

“If you've got aspirations to be tested to the absolute maximum you want to be in the starting line-up.”

“Some people think of players and supporters as 'them' and 'us.' The truth is that we do what we do because we are all fans at heart.”

“I want to do presenting, I love DJing, I love writing but none of it's a guaranteed job so it's still very scary.”

“I've always been confident in my rugby ability but with England I had to adjust my behaviour.”

“If anyone out there is mildly curious about rugby, I'd recommend a weekend spent watching the Six Nations. I don't think you'll be disappointed.”

“I've got a 20 inch neck, a narrow waist and big bulging thighs so stuff off the rack doesn't fit. It's a nightmare to shop for shirts and trousers that are going to fit, because they'll be tight in one place and all baggy everywhere else.”

“I love Twickenham. It's the best place on earth to go, even when it's empty.”

“I hate losing and I think it's good to feel a stab of anger if it happens.”