Sackey gets his chance

Paul Sackey could not even make it into the match-day 22 for England A's opening Churchill Cup match with Canada last weekend but his hard work on the training pitch has seen him promoted to the starting XV for the final against New Zealand Maori in Edmonton tomorrow.

The London Irish wing's determination to be selected for what is sure to be a hard-fought final impressed Jim Mallinder and the head coach decided to give him a shot.

"Paul's had a good season with London Irish and we think he deserves a chance this weekend," said Mallinder.

"He's an integral part of the squad and, hopefully, he will take his chance well."

Sackey is confident that England can successfully defend their Churchill Cup title against a Maori team that are packed with explosive backs.

"They are a very good side but we've trained really hard over the last week and come together as a team," he said. "We've got a good chance of beating them. It's going to be a tough game but we've just got to dig deep and stick to what we've been working on during the week.

"You're playing against some of the best players in the world so you've got to improve your game 110 per cent."