Paul Sackey

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Paul Henry Sackey (born 8 November 1979 in London) is an English rugby union footballer. He currently plays for the London Wasps in the English Guinness Premiership, and previously played for the London Irish. He has also played for England A, the England Sevens team and was a part of the 2005-06 England Elite Player Squad. He has 2 full England caps. He is of Ghanaian heritage.

[edit] Career

He only took up the game at 16 when he went to The John Fisher School in Purley, and started out as a centre or fullback. His pace earned him an immediate call up to the school’s 1st XV and he was a member of their Sevens team that won the Rosslyn Park Nationals Sevens tournament two years running.

He was quickly snapped up by a Wasps scout and played for Wasps U19s and U21s. Andy Gomarsall took Paul on a sevens trip to Lisbon and realising his potential, arranged his move to Bedford. During his time there he was called up to the England under-21 squad that played in the under-21 World Cup in New Zealand before signing professional forms for London Irish and joining them in August 2000. That year he also played for the England Sevens team in Argentina.

He topped the London Irish try scoring list in 2000-01 and in four years scored 43 tries in 121 Premiership appearances. In 2002 he was included in the England tour party that played the United States and Canada. He scored twice in their 83-21 win over the United States in Los Angeles. He played for London Irish when they beat Northampton Saints, 38-7, in the 2002 Powergen Cup final.

In 2003 he also played for England A against Ireland A. He was a member of England’s 2004 Churchill Cup squad that played Canada and the New Zealand Māori. He left London Irish in February 2005 to return to Wasps and was immediately drafted into the 1st team squad, including playing at wing in their victorious Zurich Premiership final against Leicester Tigers.

He finished the 2005-06 Guinness Premiership tied as the league's third top try scorer, and the Wasps second highest try scorer for the English season. Five rounds into the 2006-07 Guinness Premiership he leads the try scoring. He was then named in a 30 man squad for England for the November Test series. After Mark Cueto pulled out through injury he was named in the starting lineup to face the All Blacks and made his debut on Sunday, November 5th 2006. His first try came a week later in England's 25-18 home defeat to Argentina.