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17th October 2018
11:44am BST

"I think he's lost my number. "I haven't heard from him, no. Should I have heard from him? This is worrying."[caption id="attachment_204542" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]
Alex Payne, James Haskell and Rob Vickerman[/caption]
"I think if Eddie wants to have a laugh," Haskell added, "he'll send me a text, or pigeon. I think, if it's any serious, high-level chat, probably not.
"I've got a good relationship with Eddie. We obviously talk from time to time. He mainly tells me I'm rubbish and what I need to go away and improve. I take that on-board and try my best to improve. "That is kind of the circle we are in at the moment. And obviously, when you are in and around that [England] squad, guys like Borthers [England assistant coach Steve Borthwick] come around to the club and speak to you. "You've got S&C, that's strength and conditioning, coaches from England will come in. Neal Hatley [England scrum coach] will appear for a scrum session. We're not worried about scrums, so I don't really pay much attention to that."Haskell, who has made three appearances for Northampton Saints this season after his summer move from Wasps, will be 34 by the time the World Cup kicks off in Japan next autumn. Asked if he still harboured ambitions of playing in what would be his third World Cup, he admitted, "It would be a long-shot." He had offers from clubs abroad - and has previously played in France, Japan and New Zealand - but opted for the switch to Franklin's Gardens in the hopes of getting another chance to represent his country.
"That was my whole reason for staying... I wanted to put myself in the shop window and give myself the opportunity [to play for England]. You've got to go well and your club have to be going well for that all to work out. "I think, if I don't make the World Cup, I will consider what I'm doing. Whether that is finishing my career at Saints, maybe going abroad for one more stint or just calling it a day and becoming the fourth hardest working pundit in rugby, behind Rob Vickerman."Subscribe here to JOE's House of Rugby: https://playpodca.st/house-of-rugby Episode one dissects Freddie Burns' howler, Leinster's dominance, England's injury crisis and everyone gangs up on poor old James Haskell.
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