| Born | (1958-02-26)26 February 1958 (age 67) | ||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 112 kg (247 lb) | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Paul Ackford (born 26 February 1958) is anEnglish formerrugby union international who playedlock forward. He was formerly an inspector in theMetropolitan Police and acolumnist forThe Telegraph.[1]
Ackford was born inHanover,West Germany.
Ackford was educated atPlymouth College, theUniversity of Kent (BA) andCambridge University (MA). He played lock forEngland B aged 21 and representedCambridge in the 1979Varsity Match, but did not make an impact until joiningHarlequins and thePolice in 1983.
After impressing for the London Division against the touringWallabies, Ackford made his England debut on 5 November 1988 against Australia, aged 30.
Partnering police constableWade Dooley, Ackford became an important part of the new side captained byWill Carling. He went on the1989 Lions Tour to Australia, where he played in all three tests.
In 1990 he was knocked unconscious when blindsided by the young Argentine front row forwardFederico Mendez, which saw Mendez sent off. Mendez later claimed it was a case of mistaken identity, and that he had meant to hitJeff Probyn, because he had "stamped on my goolies".[2] Ackford was part of the England side that won the Five Nations Grand Slam in 1991.
Ackford retired from international rugby after the1991 World Cup, won by Australia, becoming a journalist and writing for theSunday Telegraph.
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