Packman enjoys his debut for Germany

WHILE he was denied a deserved England cap despite being one of the best finishers around in the 1980s and 90s, the late Frank Packman would have been proud that his German ancestry has at least allowed his son to play Test rugby.

- JON NEWCOMBE

Howard Packman, a former England U20 and 7s international, won his first cap last weekend, playing for Germany against Romania in the opening round of the Rugby Europe Championship.

Packman, 29, qualifies for the Black Eagles as Northampton Saints legend Frank was born on an army base, near Dortmund, to a German mother and an English father.

“I’d spoken to Germany a few times, about three or four years ago, when Mouritz Botha was there, he tried to get me over. But there was a bit of an issue over the (eligibility) ruling, but that changed and they tried to get me back a year or so again but it just didn’t work out with work, the timing wasn’t right,” Packman said.

“But I finally managed to get a cap over the weekend which was pretty cool. I am really glad I have done it, it was a bit emotional, actually. Even when I was younger and in the (England) age groups, he was like, ‘don’t forget, Germany is always an option.’ He always mentioned it to me so to finally do it, standing there, he would be pretty happy.”