Wikipedia

Archie McParland

Archie McParland
Born (2005-02-17) 17 February 2005 (age 21)[1]
Birkenhead, England
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Weight89 kg (14 st 0 lb; 196 lb)
SchoolPackwood Haugh School
Oundle School
Stowe School
Rugby union career
Position Scrum-half
Current team Northampton Saints
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2022– Northampton Saints 39 (40)
2023 → Bedford Blues (loan) 3 (0)
Correct as of 3 January 2026
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2022–2023 England U18 9 (20)
2024–2025 England U20 11 (15)
2024– England A 3 (0)
Correct as of 19 November 2025

Archie McParland (born 17 February 2005) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for PREM Rugby club Northampton Saints.

Early life

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Born in Birkenhead, McParland attended boarding school in Shropshire and then at Oundle School in Northamptonshire and then Stowe School. He joined the Northampton Saints academy at U13 level. Initially a fly-half or full-back, he switched to scrum half in 2020.[3][4]

Club career

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McParland became the youngest player in the professional era to play for the Northampton Saints first-team when he played at the age of 17 years and 222 days old against London Irish in the Premiership Rugby Cup in September 2022.[5] In March 2023, he was promoted to the senior academy at Northampton.[6]

The following season he scored a hat trick of tries in the competition in an 82–12 win over Doncaster Knights.[7] He made his Premiership Rugby debut in October 2023 against Sale Sharks.[8] He spent time on loan at Bedford Blues in the RFU Championship during the 2023–24 season.[9]

He signed a new long-term contract with Northampton in February 2025, having only missed one game in the Premiership that season.[10]

International career

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In 2023, McParland represented England U18.[11] He played for the England U20 side which won the 2024 Six Nations Under 20s Championship.[12][13] At the end of that year in November 2024, McParland made his first appearance for England A in a victory over Australia A.[14][15]

In June 2025, McParland was named in the squad for the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship and scored two tries in a game against Wales as England ultimately finished sixth.[16][17] He was selected for the England A squad again in November 2025.[18]

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References

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  1. ^ "A.McParland". itsrugby. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  2. ^ "A.McParland". All.Rugby. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  3. ^ Heagney, Liam (7 February 2024). "Archie McParland: 'Competing with Alex Mitchell is quite nice'". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  4. ^ Newcombe, Jon (27 January 2026). "Archie McParland's no fan of Austin Healey, nor TikTok, but loves Dupont". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  5. ^ Sansom, Tom (27 February 2024). "England U20s: Archie McParland – Northampton Saints' Youngest Ever Player Is Igniting the U20 Six Nations". Ruck. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  6. ^ Vickers, Tom (13 March 2023). "Saints confirm six talented youngsters will join Senior Academy". Northampton Chronicle & Echo. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Archie McParland: Northampton coach predicts big future for teenage scrum-half". BBC Sport. 9 October 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  8. ^ Vickers, Tom (15 October 2023). "Saints left to rue missed opportunity as Sale grind out win in Premiership opener". Northampton Chronicle & Echo. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  9. ^ Jaycock, Ben (10 December 2023). "Young Guns: Northampton scrum-half Archie McParland". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Scrum-half McParland signs new Northampton contract". BBC Sport. 12 February 2025. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  11. ^ Vickers, Tom (28 February 2023). "Saints trio selected by England Under-18s as coach Parkin also gets the call". Northampton Chronicle & Echo. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Under-20 Six Nations: England come from behind to beat France and clinch title". BBC Sport. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  13. ^ Kelleher, Will (14 March 2024). "'They're all freaks' – the England pack driving towards Under-20 title". The Times. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  14. ^ Morgan, Charlie (6 November 2024). "Gabriel Ibitoye called up to England A squad for Australia fixture". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  15. ^ Telfer, Alastair (17 November 2024). "Murley scores twice as England A beat Australia A". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  16. ^ Raisey, Josh (19 June 2025). "England name squad for U20 world title defence with 8 champions returning". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  17. ^ "Wales U20s suffer seven-try thumping by 14-man England". BBC Sport. 12 July 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  18. ^ Newcombe, Jon (3 November 2025). "England A name 30-man squad for All Blacks XV clash". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 4 November 2025.