O2 Inside Line - Haskell Cam takes a plunge

Last week O2 Inside Line kicked into gear with James Haskell’s behind the scenes videos from New Zealand. This week we see more of the same as we’ve got more Queenstown madness, the usual banter, and a weetabix eating contest.

Last week it was quite surprising to not see the man himself take the plunge, so in the edition of their tour video diaries, Haskell himself steps up. Nick Easter did the same, but didn’t look quite as calm. A school visit then turns out to be quite interesting as they’re not only treated to a massive Haka, but get challenged to eat dry weetabix, then sing along to Swing Low Sweet Chariot.

Tomorrow England face Romania in Otago, with just a win needed to ensure that they’re through to the next round of the tournament. While the Romanians will be physical up front, you’d expect England to pull things together and come away healthy winners.

Wing Mark Cueto spoke this week about the pressures and attention they’re getting over in rugby mad New Zealand, comparing their current lives to that of the English Premier League, where every move is watched.

“Over here it is a massive goldfish bowl and you do get a bit of a feel for what it’s like for those Premiership boys in England, when you can’t walk the street without people asking for photos and autographs and everything else,” said Cueto. “It is nice, but to be experiencing it every time you walk out the hotel is difficult,” he added. 

Kick off is at 7am in the UK, and 6pm in New Zealand. France vs New Zealand follows that.

England Team: Ben Foden, Chris Ashton, Manu Tuilagi, Mike Tindall, Mark Cueto, Jonny Wilkinson, Ben Youngs, James Haskell, Lewis Moody (c), Tom Croft, Tom Palmer, Louis Deacon, Dan Cole, Steve Thompson, Alex Corbisiero. Replacements: Lee Mears, David Wilson, Simon Shaw, Tom Wood, Richard Wigglesworth, Toby Flood, Delon Armitage.

Romania Team: Florin Adrian Vlaicu, Stefan Eugen Ciuntu, Ionel Cazan, Iulian Dumitras, Adrian Marian Apostol, Marin Danut Dumbrava, Lucian Mihai Sirbu, Ovidiu Tonita, Cosmin Aurel Ratiu, Sandu Stelian Burcea, Cristian Constantin Petre (capt), Valentin Poparlan, Silviu Florea, Bogdan Zebega Suman, Nicolae Nere. Replacements: Marius Tincu, Paulica Ion, Mihai Macovei, Daniel Gabriel Ianus, Valentin Nicolae Calafeteanu, Csaba Minya Gal, Catalin Marius Nicolae.

To get James Haskell’s inside scoop on the England squad direct from New Zealand, as well as fun features and team chat, sign up for alerts and watch O2 Inside Line on RFU TV at O2InsideLine.com