England and Stade Francais flanker James Haskell believes he is playing the best rugby of career following his summer over across the Channel.

The 24-year-old lost form, confidence and his England shirt during a troubled end to last season, but now appears reinvigorated after his transfer to the Paris giants.

His form has been consistently good since the beginning of the season, even managing to shine while Stade experienced a troubled opening that eventually saw the sacking of coaches Ewen McKenzie and Christophe Dominici.

At that point Stade were, almost unbelievably, wallowing in the Top 14 relegation zone, but the appointment of Jacques Delmas and Didier Faugeron has had the desired effect with the club now in the midst of a five-match unbeaten run.

Four of those games - including last week's Heineken Cup opener against Edinburgh - have resulted in bonus-point home wins, while the other was a highly creditable 9-9 away draw at Stade Toulousain. Confidence is once again coursing through the boys in pink, and Haskell is no exception.

Haskell has played as many games as any at Stade this season, but - as is often the case when a team is winning - he sees no need to rest. "Absolutely not, I am always ready to play," he insisted. "It is natural that I want to play. I want to show my abilities to my teammates and my coaches. I came to Stade Francais to play, to play well and regain my place in the England XV," he told rugbyrama.fr

England manager Martin Johnson flew to France recently to watch Haskell and others in action against Brive, and the pair caught up afterwards for a quick chat. "He said he was satisfied with the way I played," said Haskell, who scored his third Top 14 try of the season in that match. "We've still got this match against Bath and the clash against Perpignan at the Stade de France before he finalizes his selection. I must continue to play without worry," he added.

The former London Wasps hopes to impress again against Bath on Sunday but admitted: "I've never liked playing against them". Still, he has fond memories of winning against them with his former club and believes it will be a "special game".

He has already passed on all inside knowledge he has to Stade's coaches and players but knows his teammates will be tested to the full at The Rec. "Our defence will be vital," he admitted.

Before McKenzie's departure Stade's defence was their obvious weak point, but Delmas has helped rectify that successfully, with the team now having conceded only two tries in their past five games.

Asked if the Heineken Cup success was Stade's major goal this year (especially after two losing final appearances) Haskell replied: "Not really. What I know is that Jacques Delmas and Didier Faugeron abhor defeat. I noticed that in France some teams are content to win their home games, but that is not the case here. We want to win everything."

He also credited the new coaching duo with improving his own game, saying he was "playing my best rugby for a long time" since their arrival. It has clearly helped him settle in after a move for which he was widely criticised back in England, where his self-assuredness appears to have upset a few people.

But that all seems a long way off now and Haskell is revelling in his new surrounds. "I am really happy here. I love Paris, I love the French. Everything is wonderful here," he said.

All he needs now is a recall to the England squad, something which another barnstorming game against Bath could virtually cement.