Lewis Moody is tipped to return to fitness sooner rather than later and Haskell can stake a significant claim for continued involvement in this tournament in a single-digit numbered jersey.
The absence of Moody continues to be a talking point. The England camp are making positive noises about a return next weekend, but most are taking that information with a grain of salt.
Experienced centre Mike Tindall will flip the coin before heading into the unknown.
"It's the first time I've played indoors under a clear roof, but the pitch is the same size and that's all that matters," Tindall said.
Coach Martin Johnson said that on-field communication had been emphasised.
"What we've heard from previous games is that it's very noisy when there's a crowd in there and the sound reverberates around, so we've spoken to them about communication on the field."
Johnson rated the stadium as "fantastic" and believed the two sides would give it the World Cup debut it deserved. He said his side were primed nicely after an error-free training in wet conditions at Carisbrook on Thursday night.
"It'll be a good game [tonight] between two teams who made the semifinals of the last World Cup.
"We just want to get the tournament going and get some games [rather than] watching re-runs on the telly".
