Four years have elapsed and still Mark Cueto gets asked the same question most days. "It would be nice to get in the same position and finish it off this time," he says softly, when asked how often he reflects upon his try that wasn't in the 2007 final against South Africa. Saturday will be his first involvement in a World Cup game since and, unsurprisingly, he wishes to be remembered for something else.
In that respect he is not alone. The comparisons with England's 2007 campaign continue to be almost spooky: the sluggish start, the off-field rancour and the bristling determination to prove everyone wrong. Cueto, having recovered from the back problem that briefly threatened to ruin his tournament, has seen it all before and believes a similar fairytale adventure is still possible, ideally with a happier ending in the left-hand corner of Eden Park.
Like everyone else, he sees similarities with the last tournament in France. "It's almost a replica. We struggled against the USA but beat them and then got spanked by South Africa. Suddenly there was a crisis meeting and we ended up getting to a World Cup final." Is there something in the English rugby psyche that only clicks when backs are shoved against the wall? "I don't know what it is. What I do know is there isn't as big a gap between the top and bottom teams at this World Cup. The games are getting a lot tighter, which makes it more difficult."
Having won 53 caps for his country, Cueto's experience has taught him that teams who are written off tend to get stronger as a result. "Regardless of whether it's positive or negative stuff, we're always quite good at turning that into a bonding thing. At the minute, with everything that's been going on, it probably has galvanised us a little bit."
England, he stresses, cannot be entirely useless if they have two wins from two games and a try-bonus point already in the bag. "In a crazy sort of way, it's quite positive to be stood here feeling disappointed with how we've played having won two from two.
"There's a huge amount more to come. We've been criticised hugely for the two performances. Maybe rightly so in certain areas, but ultimately we've scored nine points from a possible 10. If we can do that playing badly then hopefully …" In common with several of his team-mates, he says training standards have risen sharply in recent days. "For me this week's training week has probably been one of the best we've had since the Six Nations."
He has been equally reassured by the supportive messages the team have received from certain Premier League footballers, empathising with the off-field scrutiny rugby players attract in New Zealand. "You've only got to read some of the things the footballers are writing. They seem to be the only people at the minute who sympathise with the position we're in. The reason for that is because they are more used to it than we are.
"Every time you go out here you have to expect attention. Over here it is a massive goldfish bowl and you 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. It is nice on the one hand but to experience it every time you walk out the hotel is difficult. If you don't want that, the only thing to do is to stay locked in your room. It can become a boring place if you're stuck in your room 24-7."
Hence Cueto's "frustration" that England's night out in Queenstown attracted so much flak. He would be feeling far worse, though, had his back injury not eased sufficiently to allow him to face Romania. "We were together for about 12 weeks prior to coming out here and there were two or three instances pre-camp when I had little problems with my back. I don't think it was a one-off event that made it go. It was the buildup of two or three instances in training; at the time I didn't think anything of it."
He says now he was always confident it would be fine, even when he tried to sprint against Ireland in Dublin and felt "nothing there" when he pressed the accelerator. "I wasn't in any pain but it was as if someone had flicked a switch off in my left leg. But as a sportsperson you are used to picking up niggles and you generally know when you've done something bad. Because I was getting no pain it was just frustrating. I was pretty confident it wasn't going to be a major issue."
Now, belatedly, the chance to make up for the disappointment of four years ago is within his grasp. If he is still haunted by memories of Paris, he refuses to let on. "It's something I get asked virtually every day of the week. Particularly at the minute, people are going to make the comparison but I'm not fussed. 2007 was a fantastic time, but we're at a new World Cup now." With Romania having selected a weakened team, Cueto's luck may just be about to change.
