Tap and Go previews England’s clash with the Pacific Islands on Saturday by chatting to London Irish and Samoa wing Sailosi Tagicakibau

Sailosi, how are things going ahead of Saturday’s game?
Everyone’s slowly getting themselves together, we’re trying to organise our set moves and stuff like that, we’re just trying to make the most of it.

You could have done with a bit longer together before taking on England in their own back yard couldn’t you?
It’s not the best, it’s a big ask for us, but we know the chance to play in front of so many people at Twickenham doesn’t come along very often so we’re going to take it with two hands.

Have you played for this combined side before?
This is the second time. I was with them in 2006, but it was a brief stint. I pulled my hamstring in the first ten minutes against Wales and that was it. I did the Haka before that game then didn’t play for the rest of the tour!

How do the boys get on, coming from three different nations?
The Pacific Islanders are all quite similar really, we pretty much speak the same language and we’ve all grown up as very religious people and with similar cultures, so we have a lot in common that way.

What do countries like Samoa need to break into that top tier of rugby?
Well, hopefully we can do it. More and more Samoans are coming over here and getting professional coaching. If we had better facilities and more preparation time to train together we’d have a better platform for our players to do better on the world stage.

You could be lining up against London Irish team mate Delon Armitage on Saturday, have you spoken to him?
I spoke to him last night and there was a lot of banter in that conversation. Hopefully he won’t get his hands on me! Delon’s a close friend and with him in the England team it’s a special occasion for him. I’m really happy for him but I’m looking forward to hopefully getting one over on him on Saturday!

What’s he like as a club mate?
Delon is a very loud person. He likes to get a lot of attention from everyone. But he’s an awesome guy, really funny at times and gives a lot of banter to everyone He’s a cheeky little guy and I’m sure he brings that to the England squad as well.

How’s life at London Irish?
Yeah loving it, they’ve been good to me and I’ve made a lot of good friends. Toby Booth has been awesome since taking over from Brian Smith who got me over here. I thought things would change a bit but he’s taken on the head coach role quite easily and knows what to expect from each and every individual.

And your little brother Michael’s just down the road at London Welsh?
Yeah it’s been hard for him - he’s just settling in in his first full season and he’s been struggling with injury but I went to watch him last week when he scored a try against Rotherham so it’s good to see him back out on the pitch.

Who behaves most like a footballer at London Irish?
Shane Geraghty. He loves all his clothes, he’s always getting clothes from sponsors and loves the footballer scene, always hanging around on a Saturday trying to look out for celebs.

Who’s the biggest wind-up merchant?
Steffon Armitage. I call him the most annoying man in the world. He’s always touching me for no reason or annoying someone somehow.

What about among the Pacific Island boys?
They’re all characters. I would say Kameli Ratuvou is one of the quietest people in the squad, but when he speaks it’s always hilarious.

Who would you least like to be stuck in a car with?
I think probably our prop at Irish, Tonga Lea’aetoa - not for his driving but he loves his stats and that bores the hell out of me.

Good luck on Saturday Sailosi
Cheers!

Tickets for the Investec Challenge match England v Pacific Islanders on Saturday November 8 are available from Ticketmaster by calling 0870 902 0000 or www.ticketmaster.co.uk. Tickets are priced from £25 for adults, £15 for juniors (under 16).