Former England talisman James Haskell was misjudged by numerous Wales opponents during his career - but it was all love on his side.
The retired back-rower revelled in stirring up the enemy during his career, and England rivalries don't get much bigger than any date in Cardiff. Steve Borthwick takes the Red Rose to the Principality Stadium on Saturday with a faint chance at winning this year's Six Nations, having already celebrated their joint-best performance in the tournament since lifting the title in 2020.
Haskell - who will star alongside Alex Payne and Mike Tindall when Hampton Court Palace Festival hosts a special live episode of the The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast on Sunday, June 15 - knows a thing or two about winning in Wales. He lifted two of his three Six Nations titles in years where his England teams won in Cardiff, and he was omnipresent in the side that won a 2016 Grand Slam
But for any animosity that may have built up between England and Wales players during his generation, rugby icon Haskell got to show his other side to those adversaries when he toured New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions in 2017. And while he acknowledges he can be a divisive figure, he felt his off-field persona won over some of those who hadn't taken to him.
"I'm a bit like Marmite. 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," he told Wales Online ahead of England's climactic trip to Cardiff. "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, hailed three Welsh icons in particular who were with him on that tour nearly eight years ago, one of whom is still playing today. He described retired fly-half Dan Biggar as the "ultimate competitor" and said he's become "really good mates" with former Scarlets centre Jonathan Davies, who has appeared on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby in the past.
But he spoke with special affection when detailing his first run-in with "great guy" Liam Williams, who "kneed him in the head and told me to F off" in their first meeting. But the pair swiftly patched things up to become thick as thieves.
"Obviously on that Living With Lions DVD, a lot of them attributed to me to be a good driving force on that tour," he continued. "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 - who earned 77 caps for England during a glittering rugby career - will put any friendships to one side as England hunt a fourth tournament win on Saturday. Interim Wales coach Matt Sherratt has succeeded in restoring some pride to the Welsh badge in recent weeks, but Borthwick & Co will look to stub out any spark of resurgence as they seek the bonus-point win that will likely be needed to keep them in title contention.
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 Hampton Court Palace Festival website.
