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The 'brutal at times' Jamie George England verdict on Samoa
Jamie George has described Theo McFarland as one of the best players in the world in any position ahead of next Saturday’s Pool D finale between England and Samoa in Lille.
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It was August 2021 when research by Nick Kennedy resulted in Saracens taking a punt on a Samoan basketball player who at the time – just two months shy of his 26th birthday – had been left in club limbo by the delayed entry of the Dallas Jackals to the American MLR.
The multi-tasking McFarland, who doubles up as a flanker and second row, went on to blaze a trail with the Londoners. Despite the setback of an ACL injury last winter, he is now thriving in the Samoa engine room at the Rugby World Cup – a development that has made Saracens colleague George proud.
Asked about the challenge that will be posed by Samoa next weekend despite England having sealed top spot in a pool where Japan and Argentina are playing off to finish second, George said about their level of physicality: “They’re brutal at times. You look at the Samoa teamsheet, they have got world-class players in their team, genuinely world-class players.
“I’m lucky enough to play with one of them at Saracens in Theo McFarland and so we have got a little bit of an insight into him. It’s tough up front. You look at the Samoan side, they are a lot better drilled than they have been previously. The coaching staff have done a brilliant job on them, especially in and around the set-piece, their scrum, their maul.
“We have seen in the previous pool games it has been really strong and competitive, so we know it’s going to be pretty tough up front but we also know every good England team is built around a strong set-piece. We’re excited about that challenge but we are also aware it is going to be a really physical, brutal contest at times.”
Tell us more about McFarland and the insight you have into him. “He’s right up there with the best players in the world regardless of his position, one of the most natural rugby players I have ever seen,” enthused George, delighted with the opportunity to elaborate on his talented Saracens pal.
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“You tell him to do one thing, he goes out and does it, makes it look easy, and the nice thing for me – obviously it won’t be nice on Saturday – I have been really proud of the performances he has been putting in because he is coming off the back of a big injury last season.
“He sort of skyrocketed to success and then had a big setback but he has worked so hard to get back and he is a huge leader in that Samoa team on the biggest stage, a worldwide stage, he is showing everyone what he is about and he is back to his best and he is a player we are going to have to make sure we keep a big eye on because he is world-class.
“I actually remember when I first found out they [Saracens] had signed a Samoan basketball player, so I didn’t think too much of it to be honest. Honestly, from the second I saw him play in training, everyone sees these really crazy skills and his natural ability but he is a tough player, a tough player who works incredibly hard.
“He is so diligent and professional and that is one thing that stuck out from the very beginning. A lot of the time new signings with a huge amount of talent can probably just rely on their talent but he came in and just wanted to soak up all the incredible experience we are lucky enough to have at Sarries. He has kicked on and it’s no surprise to me he has kicked on to be one of the best.”
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England got back down to business last Thursday in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage after a break following their 71-0 September 23 pool win over Chile in Lille.
They are preparing for the Samoans with all 33 of their squad available for the first time at the tournament as Tom Curry is now free of suspension and there are no injury concerns ahead of a pool match that will be followed by their October 15 quarter-final in Marseille against the Pool C runners-up.
It was rugby with a football under a drone at England training on Monday in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage ahead of Saturday's final Pool D match against Samoa in Lille. #EnglandRugby #RWC2023 #ENGvSAM pic.twitter.com/Fx7I3nOZb9
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 2, 2023
George is excited with the things are now shaping up in October following a positive September that featured successive wins over Argentina, Japan and Chile. “The family break we were given came at a really nice time for us off the back of three great performances and they were great for different reasons,” he reckoned.
“Then at the end of last week, we had the opportunity to train twice and the emphasis for that was probably on us and what we need to do. We did a big review of all three games, what we are trying to work on and where we are at and take stock, and this week we start looking ahead to Samoa.
“Really excited to get back. There was a great excitement in the camp off the back of the mini break. Boys are excited to get going. We have got a great plan going ahead to Samoa. Also, the team is in a lot better place and have got a good understanding of where we want to go.
“We know we are going to have to beat some very, very good teams in order to win this thing. We are going to need to keep getting better throughout the tournament and we have been doing that. We started really well against Argentina and built on different things in our game.
“We are in a good place; we’re not in a great place. In every aspect of our game, the better parts of our game, we want to keep getting better. We’re pleased but we really want to continue to push now.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Awesome win by the NZ U20s. They were excellent in the 2nd half with some very patient and accurate phase play, a dominant scrum and decent lineout. Simpson controlled things very well at 10 and it was amazing to see the team maintain their composure and score points when he was in the sin bin for a very harsh yellow card.
2 Go to commentscome on Toulouse
1 Go to commentsNot unless the cartels get interested in rugby like they did w football
1 Go to commentsYes Dobbo, you were absolute crap. Start respecting the ball and possession. If you played rugby instead of basketball against the Ospreys, you would have been n the top two now, not fifth! If you attractively and entertainingly throw the ball around for 80 minutes and lose, WE DON’T FKN ENJOY IT!
1 Go to commentsWe need a system of transfer fees. A club shouldn’t just get to sign Will Harrison when he’s been funded in NSW his entire rugby life because they have more money.
84 Go to commentsThat the pain experienced by SH clubs poached mercilessly by NH friends being now felt by the non-elite NH clubs delivers me an element of schadenfreude but if it expands the amount of poachees and opens the eyes of those new to the group then it serves a purpose. In my pessimistic (realistic?) moments I see Oz clubs in the future acting solely as feeders for France and Japan. It’s a real possibility without change
84 Go to commentswhy is this garbage rival sport that’s poaching rugby talents being promoted on a rugby website backed by world rugby again?
4 Go to comments“Ou Lem” leading that ‘98 team to a 13-3 victory was the stuff of legend! Especially since we hadn’t beaten them for many years. 10/12/13 combo of Honiball, Pieter Muller & Andre Snyman were tough as nails! I remember screaming my head off in the early hours of the morning & my brother hitting a hole through one of the bedroom doors🤭😂
1 Go to commentsWhatever about 2017 - it's seven years ago and irrelevant now. In 2021 New Zealand needed a numerical advantage for 75% of the game and what was then the largest home advantage crowd in the history of the sport in order to just _barely_ beat England.
3 Go to commentsBoth cards were harsh. Yet again highlighting rugby's inconsistencies and the absurd effect of cards
2 Go to commentsExcellent game management in the last 15 or so minutes to close it out. Aussie got a bit panicky.
2 Go to commentsWhile all this is going on… I’ve been thinking more about the NFL draft system and how to make the commercial elements of the game more sustainable for SA teams who precariously live on the fringe of these developments. SA teams play in Europe now, and are welcome, because there’s a novelty to it. SA certainly doesn’t bring the bucks (like a Japan would to SR) but they bring eyes to it. But if they don’t perform (because they don’t have the money like the big clubs) - it’s easy come easy go… I think there is an element of strategic drafting going on in SA. Where the best players (assets) are sort of distributed amongst the major teams. It’s why we’re seeing Moodie at the Bulls for example and not at his homegrown Western Province. 20-30 years ago, it was all about playing for your province of birth. That has clearly changed in the modern era. Maybe Moodie couldn’t stay in the cape because at the time the Stormers were broke? Or had too many good players to fit him in? Kistchoff’s sabbatical to Ireland and back had financial benefits. Now they can afford him again (I would guess). What I am getting at is - I think SA Rugby needs to have a very strong strategy around how teams equitably share good youth players out of the youth structures. That is SA’s strong point - a good supply of good players out of our schools and varsities. It doesn’t need to be the spectacle we see out of the states, but a system where SA teams and SA rugby decide on where to draft youth, how to fund this and how to make it that it were possible for a team like the Cheetahs (for example) to end up with a team of young stars and win! This is the investment and thinking that needs to be happening at grassroots to sustain the monster meanwhile being created at the top.
84 Go to commentsGreat win - but very poor officiating yet again. Even the Aussie commentators slammed the YC decisions.
2 Go to commentsThe game where it felt like RSA was going to lose the most was the England game in my view. Heart in throat after the Farrell drop-goal…Amazing that the boks overcame 3 times in a row…not likely to be repeated ever in my view Also the boys looked emotionally spent in the England game in the 1st half That said, why was World Rugby and Beaumont allowed to stack the pools in England’s favour? Toughest opponents on that side of the draw were Fiji, Argentina (implode central) and Auckland Girls 2nd team
58 Go to commentsOnline trolls - the only ppl who the Crusaders can beat
2 Go to commentsDefinitely some greater nous by the Walleroos and it will take a bit of time for Jo Yapp to have a lasting affect. Canada are a forward dominated physical team and only the top 3 teams can match them, though not so sure about BF’s forwards. Many of Canada’s forwards earn their living in the English PWR, the breeding ground for the Red Roses amazing strength in depth. The next PAC4 matches will be interesting.
1 Go to commentsIs the Club World Cup and the World League, in combination, going to make or break world Rugby? I personally think it’s too much. Established tournaments and competitions’s significance is going to be drowned out by “the new shiney Mall built just down the street”.
84 Go to commentsLoved Carr‘s post match interview. “No, I don’t think so Jean. But thank you.” Good kid. Louw a certain feature for the Boks this year.
1 Go to comments“Where is the challenge to Leinster, Toulouse and La Rochelle likely to come from in future?” Racing 92 ? This has not been a good season for them this year, but they have a very strong squad……players like Woki, Nyakane, Kolisi, Le Roux, Lauret(these two older now), Le Garrec, Fickou, Tuisova, Arundell. With the addition next year of Owen Farrell, that is some firepower to mount a serious challenge ? And with Stuart Lancaster having a year under his belt, things should go better. Northampton will be a year wiser, more streetwise too. And I would expect one or two of the South African sides to mount a more serious challenge, but that would depend on keeping more players at home
84 Go to commentsWow, have to go but can’t leave without saying these thoughts. And carlos might jump in here, but going through the repercussions I had the thought that sole nation representatives would see this tournament as a huge boon. The prestige alone by provide a huge incentive for nations like Argentina to place a fully international club side into one of these tournaments (namely Super Rugby). I don’t know about the money side but if a team like the Jaguares was on the fence about returning I could see this entry as deciding the deal (at least for make up of that side with its eligibility criteria etc). Same goes for Fiji, and the Drua, if there can be found money to invest in bringing more internationals into the side. It’s great work from those involved in European rugby to sacrifice their finals, or more accurately, to open there finals upto 8 other world teams. It creates a great niche and can be used by other parties to add further improvements to the game. Huge change from the way things in the past have stalled. I did not even know that about the French game. Can we not then, for all the posters out there that don’t want to follow NZ and make the game more aerobic, now make a clear decision around with more injuries occur the more tired an athlete is? If France doesn’t have less injuries, then that puts paid to that complaint, and we just need to find out if it is actually more dangerous having ‘bigger’ athletes or not. How long have they had this rule?
84 Go to comments