Paul Sackey
Encyclopedia
Paul Henry Sackey is an English
rugby union
footballer who currently plays at wing for Stade Français in the Top 14.
As of 28 February 2009 he has 22 full England caps
. He has also played for England A
and the England Sevens
team.
He is of Ghanaian heritage and attended the selective The John Fisher School
in Purley
.
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.
Sackey was spotted by a Wasps
scout, and went on to play for Wasps U19s and U21s. Andy Gomarsall
took Sackey on a sevens trip to Lisbon and, realising his potential, arranged his move to Bedford
. While at Bedford 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.
, 38–7, in the 2002 Powergen Cup final.
He left London Irish in February 2005 to return to Wasps
and was immediately drafted into the 1st team squad, where he played on the wing in their victorious Zurich Premiership
final against Leicester Tigers
.
Sackey started against Leicester Tigers in the final of the 2006–07 Heineken Cup.
In February 2010, Sackey, whose contract with Wasps expired at the end of the 2009–10 season, announced that he would join RC Toulonnais for the 2010–11 Top 14 season
.
Sackey scored six tries in 20 matches for RC Toulonnais during the 2010-11 season. However, RC Toulonnais owner Mourad Boudjellal
pronounced himself "unsatisfied" with Sackey's performance and he was released in May 2011.
and Canada
. He scored twice in their 83–21 win over USA 'A' in Los Angeles
.
In 2003, Sackey also played for England A
against Ireland A. He was a member of the England A squad for the 2004 Churchill Cup
, that played Canada
and the New Zealand Māori
.
He was named in a 30 man squad for the 2006 end of year rugby tests. After Mark Cueto
pulled out through injury he was named in the starting lineup to face the All Blacks and made his England
debut on Sunday, November 5, 2006. His first try came a week later in England's 25–18 home defeat to Argentina
. However he was unable to build on his performances in these games after being forced out of the two subsequent games against South Africa
and the 2007 Six Nations Championship
through injury.
.
In the group stage, he was notable for two tries in a 44–22 victory over Samoa
, and two more in the final group match against Tonga
, which secured England's place in the quarter-finals, where he impressed against Australia
, managing to prevent a possible try. Sackey played in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final
. Sackey also played in the 2008 Six Nations Championship
and performed well, scoring 3 tries.
Sackey was not in his best form during the 2009 Six Nations Championship
and was dropped after England's defeat to Wales
and did not feature in the last three games of the tournament.
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer who currently plays at wing for Stade Français in the Top 14.
As of 28 February 2009 he has 22 full England caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
. He has also played for England A
England Saxons
England Saxons is the current name of England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England A...
and the England Sevens
England national rugby union team (sevens)
The English national rugby union sevens team compete in the World Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.-Honours:* 1973 International Seven-A-Side Tournament - Winners* Rugby World Cup Sevens Winners 1993* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 2002* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 2003*...
team.
He is of Ghanaian heritage and attended the selective The John Fisher School
The John Fisher School
The John Fisher Old Boys Association is an exclusive members club for past pupils and teachers of The John Fisher School in Purley, Surrey.Membership of the Association is available to all former pupils of the John Fisher School and those members and former members of the School Staff who are...
in Purley
Purley, London
Purley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000....
.
Early career
Sackey started playing rugby at 17, when he went to the selective The John Fisher SchoolThe John Fisher School
The John Fisher Old Boys Association is an exclusive members club for past pupils and teachers of The John Fisher School in Purley, Surrey.Membership of the Association is available to all former pupils of the John Fisher School and those members and former members of the School Staff who are...
in Purley
Purley, London
Purley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000....
, 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
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
team that won the Rosslyn Park Nationals Sevens tournament two years running.
Sackey was spotted by a Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
scout, and went on to play for Wasps U19s and U21s. Andy Gomarsall
Andy Gomarsall
Andrew Charles Thomas Gomarsall MBE is a rugby union player who plays at scrum-half for Leeds Carnegie and England.He previously played for Gloucester Rugby, Bedford and Wasps...
took Sackey on a sevens trip to Lisbon and, realising his potential, arranged his move to Bedford
Bedford Blues
Bedford Blues is a rugby union club in the town of Bedford, England, currently playing in The RFU Championship. Bedford is one of the largest towns in England without a league football club, and one of the few towns in England where the rugby club is better supported than the football team. The...
. While at Bedford 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
London Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
and joining them in August 2000. That year he also played for the England Sevens
England national rugby union team (sevens)
The English national rugby union sevens team compete in the World Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.-Honours:* 1973 International Seven-A-Side Tournament - Winners* Rugby World Cup Sevens Winners 1993* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 2002* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 2003*...
team in Argentina.
Club career
He topped the London Irish try scoring list in 2000–01, and in four years scored 43 tries in 121 Premiership appearances. He played for London Irish when they beat Northampton SaintsNorthampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
, 38–7, in the 2002 Powergen Cup final.
He left London Irish in February 2005 to return to Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
and was immediately drafted into the 1st team squad, where he played on the wing in their victorious Zurich Premiership
2004–05 Zurich Premiership
The 2004-05 Zurich Premiership was the 18th season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions.Harlequins were relegated, to be replaced by Bristol.- Table :-Week 1:-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week 4:-Week 5:...
final against Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
.
Sackey started against Leicester Tigers in the final of the 2006–07 Heineken Cup.
In February 2010, Sackey, whose contract with Wasps expired at the end of the 2009–10 season, announced that he would join RC Toulonnais for the 2010–11 Top 14 season
2010–11 Top 14 season
The 2010–11 Top 14 competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby . Home-and-away play began on August 13, 2010 and continued through April 2011. The regular season was followed by a three-round playoff starting in May that involved the top...
.
Sackey scored six tries in 20 matches for RC Toulonnais during the 2010-11 season. However, RC Toulonnais owner Mourad Boudjellal
Mourad Boudjellal
Mourad Boudjellal is a French businessman, the proprietor of comic publisher Soleil Productions.He was born on 5 June 1960 in Toulon, France. He is currently the President of the Toulon Rugby Union club.-References:...
pronounced himself "unsatisfied" with Sackey's performance and he was released in May 2011.
International career
In 2001 he was included in the Senior England tour party that played the United StatesUnited States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
and Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
. He scored twice in their 83–21 win over USA 'A' in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
In 2003, Sackey also played for England A
England Saxons
England Saxons is the current name of England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England A...
against Ireland A. He was a member of the England A squad for the 2004 Churchill Cup
2004 Churchill Cup
The 2004 Churchill Cup was held between 14 June and 21 June 2004 in Calgary and Edmonton, Canada. It was the second edition of the Churchill Cup competition...
, that played Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
and the New Zealand Māori
New Zealand Maori rugby union team
New Zealand Māori is a rugby union team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. A prerequisite for playing in this team is that the player is to have Māori whakapapa or genealogy. In the past this rule was not strictly applied. In the past non-Māori players who looked Māori were often...
.
He was named in a 30 man squad for the 2006 end of year rugby tests. After Mark Cueto
Mark Cueto
Mark John "Frank" Cueto is an English international rugby union player. He plays on the wing for Sale Sharks and England.-Biography:...
pulled out through injury he was named in the starting lineup to face the All Blacks and made his England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
debut on Sunday, November 5, 2006. His first try came a week later in England's 25–18 home defeat to Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
. However he was unable to build on his performances in these games after being forced out of the two subsequent games against South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
and the 2007 Six Nations Championship
2007 Six Nations Championship
The 2007 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 113th series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
through injury.
2007 World Cup
Sackey was included in the training squad, and later (in August 2007) the final 30-man squad, for the 2007 Rugby World Cup2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
.
In the group stage, he was notable for two tries in a 44–22 victory over Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
, and two more in the final group match against Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
, which secured England's place in the quarter-finals, where he impressed against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
, managing to prevent a possible try. Sackey played in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final
2007 Rugby World Cup Final
The 2007 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match, played on Saturday, 20 October 2007 at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris. The match determined the winner of the 2007 Rugby World Cup and the de facto world champions for the next four years...
. Sackey also played in the 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
and performed well, scoring 3 tries.
Sackey was not in his best form during the 2009 Six Nations Championship
2009 Six Nations Championship
The 2009 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2009 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the tenth Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
and was dropped after England's defeat to Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
and did not feature in the last three games of the tournament.
Ambassador for Ghana Rugby
Sackey, in July 2008, travelled to his parents' home country, Ghana, to gain a better understanding of the development of the sport there. A huge crowd of over 500 schoolchildren greeted him, with several games put on in his honour. This included an exhibition game between Kotababi and Unity Primary schools; of which some children travelled to the UK in October 2008 to participate in a tournament arranged by charity Tour Aid.Personal
Sackey has two brothers, called Eddie and Kojo. He also has two sisters called Beverly and Annabel. In 2006 Paul set up his own car-sourcing business, finding and selling top-of-the-range cars including, in one case, a £330,000 Rolls-Royce PhantomRolls-Royce Phantom
Rolls-Royce has used the Phantom name on luxury cars over the past century:* Rolls-Royce Phantom I, 1925–1931* Rolls-Royce Phantom II, 1929–1936* Rolls-Royce Phantom III, 1936–1939* Rolls-Royce Phantom IV, 1950–1959...
.