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.

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.

“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.”

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.

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.”