Sampson back in England fold

After three years in the international wilderness Paul Sampson discovers today whether he is on the way back.

England are expected to confirm their squad for the Rugby World Cup Sevens finals in Buenos Aires and 22-year-old London Wasps star Sampson should be one of the first names on the list.

Sampson was last in the full England squad in 1998 when he won his only England cap in the rain and mud of Cape Town in a Test defeat against South Africa.

Even at Wasps last season Sampson was by no means certain of a place and it was no surprise when he switched to rugby league with Wakefield Wildcats.

He returned to Wasps this season and has simply surged on.

Sheer pace anchors Sampson's play. He once ran a 10.4 sec 100m as a schoolboy and he was still at school in Bradford when England coach Jack Rowell chose him for the Five Nations' squad in 1996.

Wasps' director of rugby Nigel Melville said: "It is great to see a really good athlete starting to fulfil his potential."

England have had to wait to find out who could be considered for Buenos Aires because the event clashes with the quarter- finals of the Heineken Cup and European Shield.