Paul Sackey
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221020376
2008-06-22T18:15:45Z
Patchey1000
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{{Infobox Rugby biography
| name = Paul Sackey
| image =
| birthname = Paul Henry Sackey
| dateofbirth = {{birth date and age|1979|11|8}}
| placeofbirth = [[London]], [[England]]
| height = 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m)
| weight = 14 st 4 lbs (91 Kg)
| nickname = Sacks
| school = [[The John Fisher School|John Fisher School]]
| other = yes
| relatives =
| ru_position = {{Wing}}
| ru_amateuryears =
| ru_amateurclubs = [[London Wasps|Wasps Academy]]
| ru_clubyears = 1999 ‐ 00<br />2000 ‐ 05<br />2005 ‐
| ru_proclubs = [[Bedford Blues]]<br />[[London Irish]]<br />[[London Wasps]]
| ru_clubcaps = 16 <br />121 <br />43
| ru_clubpoints = (40)<br > (215) <br />(95)
| ru_nationalyears = 2006 ‐
| ru_nationalteam = [[England national rugby union team|England]]
| ru_nationalcaps = 15
| ru_nationalpoints =(40)
}}
'''Paul Henry Sackey''' (born [[8 November]] [[1979]] in [[London]]) is an [[England|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 Saxons|England A]], the [[England national rugby union team (sevens)|England Sevens]] team and was a part of the 2005-06 [[England national rugby union team|England]] Elite Player Squad. As of [[27 March]] [[2008]] he has 15 full [[England]] caps. He is of [[Ghanaian]] heritage. He went to [[The John Fisher School]] in [[Purley]].
==Career==
Sackey took up the game at 17, when he went to [[The John Fisher School]] in [[Purley, London|Purley]], and started out as a [[Rugby union positions#13. Outside centre & 12. Inside centre|centre]] or [[Rugby union positions#15. Full back|fullback]]. His pace earned him an immediate call up to the school’s 1st XV and he was a member of their [[Rugby sevens|Sevens]] team that won the Rosslyn Park Nationals Sevens tournament two years running.
Sackey was spotted by a [[London Wasps|Wasps]] scout and played for Wasps U19s and U21s. [[Andy Gomarsall]] took Sackey on a sevens trip to Lisbon and, realising his potential, arranged his move to [[Bedford Blues|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 national rugby union team (sevens)|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 [[Guinness Premiership|Premiership]] appearances. In 2002 he was included in the [[England national rugby union team|England]] tour party that played the [[United States national rugby union team|United States]] and [[Canada national rugby union team|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 [[EDF Energy Cup|Powergen Cup]] final.
In 2003 Sackey also played for England A against Ireland A. He was a member of England’s 2004 [[Churchill Cup]] squad that played [[Canada national rugby union team|Canada]] and the [[New Zealand Māori rugby union team|New Zealand Māori]]. He left London Irish in February 2005 to return to [[London Wasps|Wasps]] and was immediately drafted into the 1st team squad, where he played on the [[Rugby union positions#14. and 11. Wing|wing]] in their victorious [[Guinness Premiership|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. However he was unable to build on his performances in these games after being forced out of the two subsequent games against [[South Africa national rugby union team|South Africa]] and the [[2007 Six Nations Championship]] through injury.
Sackey also played in the 2008 Six Nations Championship and performed well, scoring 3 tries.
===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 Cup]].
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.
===Personal===
Sackey has two brothers; Eddy and Kojo and 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 Phantom.<ref>http://www.england-rugby.com/englandrugby/index.cfm?fuseaction=News.News_Detail&storyid=15050</ref>
==External links==
* [http://www.england-rugby.com/englandrugby/index.cfm?fuseaction=News.News_Detail&storyid=15050 England profile]
* [http://www.guinnesspremiership.com/112_146.php?player=4221&includeref=dynamic Paul Sackey] on guinnesspremiership.com
* [http://www.wasps.co.uk/playerdisplaySS.ink?skip=22&season=07/08&seasonl=2007/2008&playertype=P Wasps profile]
* [http://www.sporting-heroes.net/rugby-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=2519 Paul Sackey photo by sportingheroes.net]
{{England Squad 2007 World Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sackey, Paul}}
[[Category:English rugby union footballers]]
[[Category:London Wasps players]]
[[Category:London Irish players]]
[[Category:Rugby union wings]]
[[Category:1979 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People of Ghanaian descent]]
[[Category:English people of African descent]]
{{Wasps current}}
[[de:Paul Sackey]]
[[fr:Paul Sackey]]
[[it:Paul Sackey]]