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Andrew stands firm on Haskell release

James Haskell has not trained with England due to illness © Getty Images

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Rob Andrew has insisted that James Haskell will not be released to play for Stade Francais this weekend despite the protestations of his club.

England's director of elite rugby has thrown the spotlight on Haskell and his advisors by making it clear that the responsibility for securing release for England training lies with the player and not the RFU. Stade will play Toulouse in front of almost 80,000 fans at the Stade de France on Saturday and are pushing for Haskell to be released.

Andrew has held firm to the belief that there were arrangements made to cover Haskell's release outside of his club contract, although the clarity of such an agreement in terms of fallow weeks in the Six Nations is debatable. IRB regulations give clubs first call on players and Haskell's contract does not include a clause to override that fact. Andrew has assurances that the correct provisions were made by Haskell and his lawyers however.

"We have been given assurances by James and his advisors that he has an agreement with Stade that he can fulfil the release periods for England training," said Andrew. "The position is between the player and the club. There is no issue here between the RFU and Stade Francais."

England responded to the French exodus last year by making it clear that players would only be considered for international action if they had negotiated release for all England training sessions. If Haskell has failed to do so then he is in a difficult bind between club and country.

"We set out very clearly what the ground rules were for the guys involved," he said. "We asked for players to give us undertakings from their advisors, their agents or their lawyers that they have agreed with their clubs what we effectively require.

"We can only go on an undertaking from the lawyer - which we have from James' lawyer - that he has the release periods that we require in his agreement with his club."

Haskell did not train with England on Thursday due to a stomach bug, with manager Martin Johnson dismissing suggestions of a "convenient illness".

"I spoke to the doctor and he said the symptoms could not be faked," he said. "It is James' understanding that he is not doing anything wrong."

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