Theodore McFarland (born 16 October 1995) is a Samoan professional rugby union player and former basketball player. He plays as a lock or

flanker Flanker may refer to: * Flanker (perfume), a newly created perfume sharing attributes of an existing one * Flanker (rugby union), a position in rugby union (not found in rugby league) * ''Su-27 Flanker'' (video game), a 1996 computer game modelin ...

for English Premiership Rugby club

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

and the Samoa national team.

Basketball

McFarland played basketball for Samoa, including at the

2019 Pacific Games The 2019 Pacific Games was the sixteenth edition of the Pacific Games. The Games were held in Apia, Samoa, returning there for the first time since 2007. It was the third time overall that the Pacific Games were held in Samoa. The event was init ...

, when Samoa finished in sixth place.

Rugby union

McFarland started playing rugby while at school at Pesega Church College, and also represented Moamoa Rugby Club in Samoa in 2016. McFarland also competed in the Dewar Shield rugby union competition in Victoria, Australia from 2016 to 2018. In 2019, McFarland was approached by ex-Samoan international rugby union player

Brian Lima Brian Pala Lima '' OM'' (born 25 January 1972) is a Samoan former rugby union player who was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011. He earned the nickname of "The Chiropractor" for his shuddering hits both on and off the pitch that supposedl ...

, then the coach of the

Samoa Sevens The Samoa national rugby sevens team, referred to as Samoa Sevens or Manu Samoa 7s, competes in the annual World Rugby Sevens Series. Representing the polynesian country of Samoa, with a population of about 202,000, the team competes against so ...

team, to consider switching back from basketball to rugby union. McFarland trained with the Samoa sevens team and subsequently signed for rugby union side Manuma Samoa soon after in 2019. McFarland signed for Saracens in August 2021, and to

Major League Rugby Major League Rugby (MLR or USMLR) is a professional rugby union competition and the top-level championship for clubs in North America. In the 2022 season it was contested by thirteen teams: twelve from the United States and one from Canada. Off ...

expansion side Dallas Jackals for the 2021 season, before the team delayed their entry to the league. He made his debut for Samoa in July 2021, playing two non-cap internationals against the Māori All Blacks, before winning his first cap against Tonga in the 2023 Rugby World Cup qualifiers. He played three times in the 2021 Pacific Nations Cup, scoring a try in his first match as a starter against Tonga on 9 July.

References

External links

* 1995 births Samoan rugby union players Samoa international rugby union players Living people Rugby union locks Rugby union flankers Saracens F.C. players 2023 Rugby World Cup players {{Samoa-rugbyunion-bio-stub