He has now upgraded and is out for a rugby experience in the South.
But Haskell, the English loose forward, has taken the "if you can't beat them, then join them" philosophy in heading south.
"I remember in the Under-19 World Cup in France swapping kit with Jamie Mackintosh and got a pair of Highlanders tracksuit pants. And I think I wore them in the next five years, never thinking I would play in the same team as him," Haskell said.
"I always wanted to play Super 15. Playing Super 15 sides as an England player is the pinnacle.
"It really started around the the World Cup. I'd had a couple of offers but then Martin Johnson was training in the gym at the same time with Jamie Joseph and he asked about me. I think Johnno [Johnson] put a good word in.
"Then I got a phone call from Jamie asking if I wanted to play for him."
Haskell jumped at the chance and arrived in Dunedin last week, after 3 months playing club rugby in Japan. He played off the bench in last Saturday night's win over the Chiefs in Hamilton.
"I've gone from winter to winter to coming into winter. In Japan, I went there on my own. I made a whole lot of new friends and then I've come here on my own. Sometimes it can be a a little bit lonely when you sit down or even breakfast on your own, and think you wouldn't mind someone there. But then you are round the team most of the day and they seem like good lads."
Haskell, who sees his preferred position as a No 7, has signed to go back to play for Wasps in the premiership later in the year.
He still has ambitions to play for England and help the team have a more successful World Cup than it did last year.
When asked about his memory of last year's World Cup, Haskell said it was not easy.
"It is difficult one. Decisions were made that should have been made quicker and closed down quicker. Ultimately, the media made stuff very, very difficult for us, but the commitment by the players was never in question.
There was some avoidable mistakes.
"For me, it was a dream to make a World Cup but I won't be looking back saying it was fantastic. Being part of the World Cup was great but I want to play for England again and play in another World Cup. To leave it there would be disappointing."
Haskell himself was involved in an incident at the Southern Cross Hotel where, along with hooker Dylan Hartley and winger Chris Ashton, he was accused of harassing a hotel waitress.
Haskell was given a suspended fine by the English Rugby Union but was cleared of any wrongdoing and he said he just wanted to move on from the incident.
"From my opinion and where it is concerned from all the people that count and in the media I was exonerated. It was disappointing the way it was handled and things were allowed to carry on but I knew the truth of the situation.
"You've got to look to protect yourself. When you know you are coming from a position of innocence, and you know people around you know the truth ... you can't afford your name to be tarnished. But as far as I'm concerned, rugbywise, it is all finished.
"Coming back was always difficult. It is very difficult when you have not spoken out. But I knew the truth of the situation and I'm not being dragged into making silly comments. When I came back here there was a little bit of nervousness but everyone is fantastic, Dunedin is a great place and everyone knows the truth."
The 26-year-old is a trailblazer of sorts for an Englishman, especially now with the English union stipulating all England players must be playing in its competition to wear national colours.
"It is difficult [to come to New Zealand]. Guys are not prepared to give up their England career.
Financially, it is very different over here. I have come over purely for the rugby. I wanted to work with Jamie Joseph. It was about that one pure decision."
He said there were obvious difference between rugby in the two hemispheres.
"Over here, it is the mentality of more of a one-on-one battle. Take a man on and then offload.
"That can happen very quickly, hence the scoreline is so big. In France and England, it is a bit more of a pile-up, the ball is a bit slower, guys are following patterns and not as much one on one."
