Theodore McFarland (born 16 October 1995) is a Samoan professional rugby union player and former basketball player. He plays as a lock or flanker for English Premiership Rugby club Saracens and the Samoa national team.[1]

Basketball

Originally from the village of Moamoa in the suburbs of Apia, McFarland primarily played basketball as a child, only later taking up rugby once he entered high school.[2] Between 2018 and 2019, he represented the Samoa national team.[3]

McFarland's first major basketball tournament was the 2018 FIBA Oceania Polynesian Tournament, where Samoa advanced to the final, before losing out to Tahiti.[4] The following year, he was selected for 2019 Pacific Games,[5] when Samoa finished in sixth place. At the games, he also competed in the 3x3 tournament, helping Samoa to achieve a bronze medal.[6]

Rugby union

Club career in Samoa

McFarland started playing rugby while attending school at Pesega Church College.[7] He played for the Moamoa Roosters Rugby Club in the local amateur championship, and also represented Moorabbin in the Dewar Shield rugby union competition in Australia from 2016 to 2018.[8] Upon returning to Samoa, he played for the Savai'i Vikings, with whom he contested the Super 9 provincial championship in 2018 and 2019.[9]

In 2019, McFarland was approached by ex-Samoan international rugby player Brian Lima, who was then the head coach of the Samoa Sevens team, to consider switching his focus from basketball to rugby union.[10] McFarland trained with the Samoa 7s, and subsequently signed for Manuma Samoa in the new Global Rapid Rugby competition, which launched in 2020.[11] In the opening round of the inaugural season, he started in the second row against the South China Tigers.[12] However, this was the only match he played in 2020, since the season was immediately interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] That same year, he also signed a contract with Major League Rugby expansion team Dallas Jackals for the 2021 season,[14] but he ultimately never joined them, after the franchise opted to delay its entry into the league due to the pandemic.[15]

Saracens

In August 2021, McFarland agreed a one-year deal to join Saracens in the English Premiership, ahead of the 2021–22 season.[16] He made his competitive debut for the club on 31 October, coming on as a substitute during a league victory against Harlequins.[17] He gradually established himself as a first-team regular, featuring in 27 matches across all competitions that season, including 18 starts and 6 tries, with his playing time split between blindside flanker and lock.[11] He also started in the team's Premiership final defeat to Leicester Tigers.[18]

Ahead of the 2022–23 season, McFarland signed a new long-term contract with Saracens, keeping him at the club until 2026.[19] His performances at the start of the season then saw him named as the Premiership Player of the Month for September 2022.[20] He missed the second half of the season, after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in December 2022.[21] However, he had started all of the team's first 9 matches in Premiership and European competition, scoring 6 tries and helping the team to finish top of the league table, on their way to winning the title.[22]

International career

McFarland received his first call up to the Samoa senior squad in May 2021, from new head coach Seilala Mapusua.[23] He made his debut in July, playing in two uncapped international fixtures against the Māori All Blacks,[1] before earning his first test cap against Tonga in the 2023 Rugby World Cup qualifiers.[24] He then played in all three matches in Samoa's title-winning run at the 2022 Pacific Nations Cup.[25]

Although he missed several months of 2023 while recovering from ACL surgery, McFarland returned to the international stage in the final round of the 2023 Pacific Nations Cup.[11] He was subsequently named in Samoa's 32-player squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.[26] McFarland played every minute of his country's four games at the tournament, including a Player of the Match performance against Chile.[27]

In 2024, McFarland was appointed as the new Samoa captain, succeeding Michael Alaalatoa.[28] For his inaugural match as skipper, he led his team to victory over Italy – Samoa's first win against a tier 1 nation for nine years.[29]

References

  1. ^ a b "Theo McFarland". ESPN Rugby. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Basketball star signs with Dallas Jackals Rugby". www.samoaobserver.ws. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  3. ^ "McFarland, Samoa hungry for Polynesian Cup glory". www.fiba.basketball. 24 November 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Tahiti crowned Polynesian Cup 2018 champions". www.fiba.basketball. 24 November 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Men's basketball going for gold". www.samoaobserver.ws. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Men's 3×3 Basketball Wins Bronze Medal as Pacific Games Comes to a Close". samoaglobalnews.com. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Ultimate Rugby Bio: Theo McFarland". Ultimate Rugby. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  8. ^ "Dewar Sheild Test Lists - Round 7". vic.rugby. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Vikings win battle for Savai'i, stay top of Super 9". www.samoaobserver.ws. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Theo McFarland: 'We didn't have a rugby ball so we used a Pepsi bottle filled with banana leaves'". Rugby Pass. 11 September 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  11. ^ a b c "All Rugby Player: Theo McFarland". Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  12. ^ "Tigers secure win with late charge". www.rapid.rugby. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Samoan rugby team that set off 104 days ago still not home". www.bbc.co.uk. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Dallas signs Samoan lock Theo McFarland". Americas Rugby News. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Dallas Dispersal Update – Where would-be Jackals are now". www.americasrugbynews.com. 18 February 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  16. ^ "Theo McFarland: Saracens sign Samoa lock ahead of Premiership return". www.bbc.co.uk. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Harlequins 22-29 Saracens: Sarries strike late to beat Quins". www.skysports.com. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  18. ^ "Premiership final: Leicester Tigers 15-12 Saracens - Freddie Burns drop-goal clinches title". BBC Sport. 18 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  19. ^ "Theo McFarland: Samoa forward signs long-term contract at Saracens". BBC Sport. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  20. ^ "Theo McFarland wins Gallagher Player of the Month for September". Premiership Rugby. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Premiership: Theo McFarland ruled out for the remainder of Saracens' season". www.planetrugby.com. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  22. ^ "Premiership final: Saracens 35-25 Sale - Sarries win sixth title in Twickenham thriller". BBC Sport. 27 May 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  23. ^ "Manu Samoa names 13 new caps to face Māori All Blacks, Tonga". www.rnz.co.nz. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  24. ^ "Manu Samoa Set for First Test Since 2019 with Nine New Caps". samoaglobalnews.com. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  25. ^ "Rugby: Samoa stun Fiji to win Pacific Nations Cup in Lautoka". www.stuff.co.nz. 16 July 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  26. ^ "Samoa name final squad for Rugby World Cup 2023". www.world.rugby. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  27. ^ "Samoa: Rugby World Cup 2023 review". www.world.rugby. 9 October 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  28. ^ "Theo McFarland to captain Manu Samoa". islandsbusiness.com. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  29. ^ "Samoa produce comeback upset victory over Italy". www.rugby.com.au. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theo_McFarland
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