DUBAI // As pursuits of the American dream go, it has been a singularly circuitous one, but Mike McFarlane is not done yet. If he can make it here, he can make it anywhere in the home of the free.
The latest destination is just as peculiar as the starting point. McFarlane grew up in Kent in England's south east, and only started playing rugby aged 12 after a broken ankle ruled him out of his preferred game of football.
Yet, earlier this year, he moved to the United States to try to make a late run at forcing his way into their plans for the Rugby World Cup. Knowing he qualifies via his American mother, he quit his job teaching in the UK at the end of last year, packed up his rugby boots and moved to Las Vegas, the home of America's national rugby champions.
"Their scouting system in the UK is pretty non-existent unless you are playing in the Premiership, so they said my best chance was to go over there," McFarlane, 26, said.
"I was trying to get into the camp but it was all a rush before the World Cup, and it all went flat when I got over there."
He did not make it to New Zealand, but the dream of playing for his mother's homeland is not over yet. Neither is it as outlandish as it sounds. Al Caravelli, the United States Sevens coach, has never minded being creative when it comes to scouting.
His sevens programme is packed with players who have fallen through the cracks of American football, before he has polished them into rugby players.
And McFarlane, who relocated to Abu Dhabi after his flit to Vegas and now teaches at Yasmina School, is ahead of the gridiron converts in his rugby knowledge.
"There are areas he would have to work on, but he has got the right attitude," Chris Davies, his coach at Abu Dhabi Harlequins, said.
"With those physical attributes and his attitude, he could go well in the game. He is a very physical player and can move the ball as well."
It is nine years since the leading capital club last won the Dubai Rugby Sevens, but if they reach the final and play on the main field on Saturday, maybe McFarlane will be able to catch Caravelli's eye.
The Harlequins loose-forward-come-midfield player has one significant quality that the US coach values highly, namely defence.
In his first few months in the domestic game, McFarlane has already marked himself out as one of the most destructive tacklers in UAE rugby. His virtues do not end there, however.
"He is obviously a very good athlete and has a very good attitude to training," Davies said. "Also, for a new guy to come on the pitch and boss people around straight away is quite rare. He has good pedigree."
