James Haskell has won over many a former foe – including some Welsh icons (Image: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Former star James Haskell was misunderstood by many opponents during his career, but it was often a one-way street. The retired flanker was known for his ability to rile up the opposition, and there’s no bigger rivalry for an English player than a trip to Cardiff.
Steve Borthwick will lead the Red Rose to the Principality Stadium on Saturday with a slim chance of clinching this year’s title. Haskell – who is is set to join Alex Payne and Mike Tindall for a special live episode of The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast at the Hampton Court Palace Festival on Sunday, June 15 – had his fair share of victories against . He was part of two England teams that won the Six Nations after triumphing in Cardiff, and he also played a key role in the 2016 Grand Slam.
But despite any bad blood between England and Wales players from his era, Haskell showed a different side to his rivals when he toured New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions in 2017. And while he admits he can be a polarising figure, he believes his off-field personality won over some of those who initially didn’t warm to him.
“I’m a bit like Marmite,” he told . “I think some guys, you can see body language wise, they have an expectation that I’m going to be a certain way. And sometimes I probably reinforce that. Sometimes I probably dispel it. And all of them now, you know, wherever I go, I can see them. I chat with them.
“I love them. I’ve just got affection for all of them. And actually what was really interesting, I think for all those nations [who tour with the Lions], all their players obviously came back and told their sort of friends and family that I was a good guy.”
Haskell, 39, didn’t hold back expressing his fondness for his team-mates from that 2017 tour, hailing three Welsh legends in particular. He praised fly-half great Dan Biggar as the “ultimate competitor” whom he gets along with like a “house on fire,” noting he also became “really good mates” with centre supreme Jonathan Davies.
Alex Payne, James Haskell and Mike Tindall will perform at the Hampton Court Palace Festival (Image: The Good, The Bad & The Rugby)
And he also recounted his initial encounter with Liam Williams, describing him as a “great guy” despite a rough start. Full-back Williams supposedly “kneed him in the head and told me to F off” when they first met in training, though the two quickly overcame their differences and forged a strong friendship.
“Obviously on that Living With Lions DVD, a lot of them attributed to me to be a good driving force on that tour,” he added. “So much so that it kind of filtered down to all the naughty rugby fans who’d come up to me and go, ‘Oh, well, you know, I hear from so-and-so you’re a good lad and I used to think you were a d***head, but now I think you’re a good lad.’
“And so I’m just like, ‘Okay, whatever.’ But that was kind of a really nice journey with those guys.”
Haskell has forged strong bonds with the likes of Wales icon Justin Tipuric (L) and Rory Best (R) (Image: David Rogers/Getty Images for Land Rover)
As England prepare for a highly anticipated clash in Cardiff, Haskell – who represented England on 77 occasions – will be ready to cast those relationships aside for the time being. Interim Wales coach Matt Sherratt has brought back a lot of much-needed pride to his side, while Borthwick and his team are intent on sealing a third straight win since losing to Ireland in Week 1.
The Red Rose has now leapfrogged the Irish in the standings and sits just one point behind leaders France – whom they’ve already beaten – coming into the closer. England lost to Wales in their most recent visit to the Principality in 2023 in a World Cup warm-up, but the stakes are considerably higher heading into Saturday’s crunch encounter.
The Good, The Bad & The Rugby will perform at the 29th edition of the Hampton Court Palace Festival on Sunday, June 15. Purchase tickets via the official .