Date of birth | 2 June 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Place of birth | Sydney, NSW, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 114 kg (251 lb; 17 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | St. Ignatius College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
University | Australian Catholic University St. John's University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Alastair "Al" McFarland (born 2 June 1989) is a former Australian-American rugby union player who played for the USA Eagles. He played as a number 8 or flanker.
McFarland won USA Rugby Club Division I National Championships with New York Athletic Club in 2012 and 2015. [1]
In July 2015, he earned his first National Team selection to the 2015 Pacific Nations Cup, earning his first cap against Japan in Sacramento. Following his international debut, he continued to make appearances with the Men's Eagles, suiting up as a starter for 6 of his 9 total matches including the 2015 Rugby World Cup. [2]
In 2017, McFarland joined the team for the 2017 Americas Rugby Championship where he helped the United States clinch their first ever title victory in the tournament. [3]
The United States men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States of America Rugby Football Union in men's international rugby union. USA Rugby is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States, and is a member of Rugby Americas North, one of six regional governing bodies under World Rugby. Until rugby returned to Olympic competition, with sevens at the 2016 Rio Games, the United States was the reigning Olympic rugby champion, having won gold at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics.
USA Rugby is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. Its role is to achieve and maintain “high levels of quality in all aspects of rugby." USA Rugby is responsible for the promotion and development of the sport in the U.S., and promotion of U.S. international participation.
John Eric Paul Mitchell is a New Zealand professional rugby union coach and former player who has been coaching the England Women's national team since 2023. His son is New Zealand International cricketer Daryl Mitchell.
Rugby union in the United States is played at youth, high school, college, amateur, professional, and international levels and governed by USA Rugby. There were over 125,000 players registered with USA Rugby as of 2016. Over 2,500 rugby union clubs exist around the country, including those who are part of college rugby. Professional club competition has existed as Major League Rugby (MLR) since 2017.
Tom Billups is an American former rugby union rugby player, who played for the USA Eagles as an international and Blackheath Rugby Club, Harlequin F.C., and Pontypridd RFC as a professional. After retiring as a player in 1999, he joined the staff of the United States national team and was the head coach from 2001 to 2006. In addition to coaching the Eagles, Billups managed the U.S. national sevens team program and coached the 2005 U.S. sevens team. In 2015 Billups was inducted into U.S. Rugby Hall of Fame, and was the first person to be inducted as both a player and coach. In 2018 Billups became the 14th recipient of the Craig Sweeney Award which was first award in 1979 in memory of former United States national team member and captain, Craig Sweeney. The Sweeney Award is presented to a former national team player who has contributed significantly to the game while displaying exemplary character on and off the field.
The United States national rugby sevens team competes in international rugby sevens competitions. The national sevens team is organized by USA Rugby, and was led by Head Coach Mike Friday from 2014-2024, when he resigned and was replaced by Simon Amor.
Todd Stanger Clever is an American retired rugby union player. He became the first American to play Super Rugby. At the international level, he was a member of the United States national team, served as captain, and is the most capped player in United States rugby union history.
Thretton Palamo is an American rugby union player who plays centre for Old Glory DC of Major League Rugby (MLR).
Chris Wyles is a former American-English rugby union player. Until his retirement from international rugby in January 2016, Wyles had represented the United States in three World Cups. He was the USA Eagles Captain in the 2015 World Cup. In the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 season, he was Captain of the USA National Sevens team, a core team in the World Rugby Sevens series. In 2015, he was selected for the USA Olympic team to compete in the Sevens rugby event at the Rio Olympic Games.
Marty Veale is a former rugby union player and is assistant coach with Northland in the Bunnings NPC. He played at lock for Northland in the ITM Cup competition. He formerly coached rugby as Head Coach of Rugby New York (RNY), a member of Major League Rugby (MLR)Old Blue R.F.C. in New York and the United States Military Academy at West Point men's team starting in 2015.
Blaine Hansen Scully is an American former rugby union player who played for the U.S. national team as a fullback or wing. Scully was captain of the U.S. national team and previously served as co-captain alongside long-serving USA Eagle, Todd Clever. Professionally, Scully last played in Wales for Cardiff Blues and for the Leicester Tigers. Scully also founded the United States Rugby Players Association (USRPA) with former 7s Eagle, James Gillenwater.
Kisi Keomaka "Maka" Unufe is an American rugby union player. He has played over a decade with the United States national rugby sevens team. He also played for the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby (MLR) as a center.
Cameron Dolan is an American rugby union player who normally plays at the Number 8 position. He currently plays professionally for the NOLA Gold, since 2018, in the Major League Rugby (MLR). Dolan previously played rugby outside the United States at professional level.
The 2015 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup was the tenth edition of the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup, an annual international rugby union tournament. The 2015 title was contested between the Tier 2 nations of Canada, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Tonga and the United States.
Nate Augspurger is an American rugby union player from Minneapolis, Minnesota who plays scrum-half for the Chicago Hounds in Major League Rugby (MLR).
Benjamin Joseph Pinkelman is an American professional rugby union player who plays as a forward for the United States national sevens team.
William John E. Hooley is a former rugby union player who played fly-half for the San Diego Legion in Major League Rugby (MLR) and the United States.
Nate Brakeley is an American former professional rugby union player who played lock and flanker for Rugby New York (Ironworkers) of Major League Rugby (MLR) and for the United States men's national team. Brakeley also played for the New York Athletic Club.
Ruben Pieter de Haas is a rugby union player who plays scrum-half for the United States men's national team. He previously played for Saracens in the English Premiership and currently for the Cheetahs in the SA Currie Cup and the 2024-25 EPCR Challenge Cup in Europe.
Malon Maurice Al-Jiboori is an American rugby union player who plays for the United States men's national rugby sevens team and the United States men's national team (XVs). He currently plays for Ealing Trailfinders and the Houston SaberCats in Major League Rugby (MLR).