England head coach Brian Ashton is the only man who could persuade veteran prop Neal Hatley that tomorrow's Barclays Churchill Cup final will not be his final match of rugby union.

Hatley has left the door ajar - "never say never" - but accepts the chances of Ashton turning to an uncapped 37-year-old for the World Cup would be slim at their most generous.

England are well stocked at loose-head with the likes of Phil Vickery, Matt Stevens, Andrew Sheridan and Perry Freshwater all competing for that number one jersey.

And so Hatley will take his bow as England Saxons captain in their Barclays Churchill Cup final against the New Zealand Maori before moving into a coaching role at the London Irish academy.

``Everybody would like to play in big tournaments and that would probably be the only thing that could change my mind but this is definitely my last game of rugby,'' said Hatley.

``To be representing my country of birth and captaining the team at Twickenham is fantastic.''

Hatley was born in Lancashire but grew up in South Africa and forged a successful career in the Currie Cup and Super 12 with Natal and Western Province before moving to Bedford and then finding a home at London Irish in 1998.

Hatley rates his first England A appearance as the highlight of that long playing career but is ready to take on his new challenge.

``I have been very fortunate. I have played at a high level in South Africa and the Guinness Premiership is the best league in the world,'' said Hatley.

``I am looking forward to seeing things from the other side now. It will be tricky because I have played and trained with a lot of the guys I will be managing.

``But I have done a lot of coaching with A team this season am looking forward to the challenges ahead.''

Before that, though, is the not inconsiderable task of stopping the Maori, who posted 50 points on both Canada and Ireland A, from successfully defending their title.

``They have looked good but I don't think they have been massively tested yet,'' said Hatley.

``If you give them the space they will destroy you so we will be out to cut down that time and space on the ball.

``We will be going to disrupt their set piece and hopefully put a bit more pressure on them than they have experienced.''

The Maori will run out at Twickenham for the first time since 1926 and head coach Shane Howarth is predicting a thrilling tournament finale.

``Twickenham is the home of English rugby and we know that the Saxons will be really up for the final,'' he said.

``It should be a great day and a good game.''