It is about 12 degrees in Toulon when Paul Sackey settles down to talk about his life on the Côte d'Azur and his still-burning England ambitions. "The weather's nice. Not as hot as in the summer, of course, but better than over there," the winger says ahead of Sunday's Heineken Cup match against London Irish, before adding with more than a hint of relish: "I've seen the pictures. And the boys say it's down to minus five over there."
Minus five is a bit of an exaggeration, but Sackey has a point. While he has had the day off and is lounging around his impressive home in the hills above Toulon, Irish have been training by the Thames at Sunbury, the thermometer just nudging freezing point. About the only common denominator was that both Toulon and south-west London were bathed in sunshine, bright in the case of the Mediterranean, watery over the Thames.
However, it is not just the weather that is cheering Sackey. After a bumpy start to his two-year contract in France, the former Wasp is beginning to find his feet. In round one of the Heineken Cup he and Jonny Wilkinson combined for the try that took the game away from the Ospreys and last Friday the two were at it again as Toulon beat Montpellier, currently second in the French league, the Top 14.
It was a typical Sackey try, stepping inside or through three defenders in the last 10 yards; trademark stuff down to the beaming smile and the two-inch red Alice band holding back the flowing mane. Sackey clearly loved it and if it also confirmed a change in fortune then so much the better; Sackey deserves the occasional smile from rugby's gods.
First came that strange leg injury in Dublin last year in what may prove to have been his last game for England. Various medical teams missed the fracture and it was not until he tried to play for the Wasps late in the season that the injury became apparent. Just two minutes into the game Sackey broke down.
A change was needed and he decided on Toulon. He says it could have been one of the Paris clubs, but that would have been a bit like living in London, or possibly Toulouse. "But I wanted a change. If I was going to leave Wasps this was the only place I was going to come. I wanted to experience something totally different, a total change of lifestyle, so here was the only place. Rugby is absolutely massive over here. There is no football and the town just buzzes when we play. It's such an amazing place to be."
It was only later that it became apparent that the move had divided opinions in the south of France. Mourad Boudjellal, whose millions the coach Philippe Saint-André has been spending, wanted either the Wales wing Shane Williams or the All Black Joe Rokocoko to add to the collection of galácticos at Stade Félix Mayol. However, Saint-André stood firm and won the day – but then his new signing received dreadful news. The very weekend Sackey was due to move to Toulon, his cousin and best friend, Michael, was shot in the head as he sat in his car. The next six weeks created turmoil in Sackey's life.
As if flying backwards and forwards to be with his mother and family was not enough, elements of the French press began to misunderstand what was going on. Due to their ignorance of the murder inquiry, Sackey's absence from the field, plus reports of French lessons abandoned, led to stories that his Toulon career might be over before it had begun.
"That was the day I was meant to fly out to start pre-season," Sackey says. "It's hard just to change from what you know and go to a new country and a different way of playing and training. It's hard to adapt from what you know and those family problems as well.
"The Top 14 is totally different to the Premiership. It's a bit harder and the French [clubs] have got so much money that they can go out and buy the best players so that in almost every position you are playing against a world-class player every week."
Clearly the fierce competition works. Sackey does not say so, but those who watch Toulon reckon he is close to the form that made him an England regular. The great surprise is that no one from Twickenham has been in touch. Martin Johnson, the England manager, was in Toulon for the Ospreys game, but since then nothing – and there have been suggestions that after 22 Tests and 11 tries the wing who celebrated his 31st birthday last month may be about to call it a day and extend his stay in the sunshine.
"England? Of course I still have [ambitions]. I want to play for England but they haven't been in touch," Sackey says. "All I can do is play well for my club and keep in their minds. I'm enjoying it here and I've already got some good friends. I feel like I've been here for years. All the players have welcomed me to the team and it's a great place to be."
