| Theo McFarland | |
| Fullname: | Theodore McFarland |
| Birth Date: | 16 October 1995 |
| Birth Place: | Apia, Samoa |
| Height: | 1.980NaN0 |
| Weight: | 1150NaN0 |
| School: | Pesega Church College |
| Position: | Flanker, Lock |
| Amatyears1: | – |
| Amatteam1: | Moamoa Roosters |
| Amatapps1: | – |
| Amatpoints1: | – |
| Currentclub: | Saracens |
| Years1: | 2018–19 |
| Clubs1: | Savai'i Vikings |
| Apps1: | – |
| Points1: | – |
| Years2: | 2020 |
| Clubs2: | Manuma Samoa |
| Apps2: | 1 |
| Points2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2021– |
| Clubs3: | Saracens |
| Apps3: | 63 |
| Points3: | 65 |
| Repyears1: | 2021– |
| Repteam1: | Samoa |
| Repcaps1: | 19 |
| Reppoints1: | 10 |
| Clubupdate: | 5 January 2025 |
| Repupdate: | 5 January 2025---- |
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]