James Haskell has defended the bold predictions made by Ireland's rugby greats before last weekend's match. Players like Jamie Heaslip, Simon Zebo, Peter Stringer, and Ronan O'Gara confidently dismissed England's chances of winning against the defending champions. Despite Ireland's strong form leading up to the game, England managed to secure a surprising 23-22 victory. Haskell praised the courage of players like Heaslip for speaking their minds and expressed a desire to see more personality and trash talk in rugby.

He emphasized the importance of taking risks and accepting the consequences, regardless of the outcome.