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| Full name | Theodor Dan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (2000-12-26)26 December 2000 (age 24) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 105 kg (231 lb; 16 st 7 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Alleyn's School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | King's College London | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Theodor Dan (born 26 December 2000) is an English professionalrugby union player who plays as ahooker forPremiership Rugby clubSaracens and theEngland national team.
Dan was born inLondon, England onBoxing Day 2000, toRomanian parents Octavian and Diana.[2] Growing up inHerne Hill – interspersed with visits toBucharest andTârgu Jiu – he began his rugby journey when he was five years old, playing forBlackheath until the age of seventeen.[3] He was educated atAlleyn's School and currently studies atKing's College London for abachelor's degree in philosophy, politics and economics.[4]
During his youth, Dan played as acentre andwing, before being recruited into the academy atSaracens as a teenager. He credits his late grandfather Ion Dijmarescu, a professor of engineering who played as atighthead prop in theRomanian first division, for instilling his love of the sport.[5]
Dan joined theSaracens junior academy in 2017, aged sixteen. While representing the club's U16s team at the Wellington Festival, he was persuaded to convert to hooker by Saracens academy coach and ex-playerKelly Brown. His transition to the front-row began with an apprenticeship loan spell atOld Alleynians.[2] Dan describes Saracens first-team hooker andBritish & Irish Lions internationalJamie George as a key mentor.[3]
Dan represented the club in the Under-18 Academy League, before signing his firstSaracens contract and graduating into the senior academy in June 2019.[6] During his development, he spent time on loan atBishop's Stortford inNational League 1, the third tier ofEnglish rugby, playing under the tutelage of formerBath,Newcastle andNorthampton playerAndy Long.[3]
In November 2021, Dan made hisSaracens first-team debut in a victory overHarlequins in the pool stages of the2021–22 Premiership Rugby Cup, and featured regularly in thePremiership Rugby Cup campaign, sometimes playing as aflanker.[7] He was also dual-registered withAmpthill during the season and made several appearances for the club in theChampionship, scoring onetry[8] HisPremiership debut for Saracens followed at the end of the2021–22 Premiership regular season, againstGloucester.[7] Subsequently, Dan was promoted into the Saracens first-team squad ahead of the2022–23 season.[9]
After starting the 2022–23 season on loan at Ampthill, injuries saw Dan recalled to theSaracens first-team. Following his first Premiership start in October 2022, he enjoyed a breakthrough season, earning the most league starts at hooker for the club, and scoring five tries – the most of any Saracens forward that season.[2] This culminated in Dan winning his first Premiership title on 27 May 2023, helping Saracens to victory in the final againstSale Sharks, as he played for 70 minutes after entering the match as an early replacement.[10]
His name made the announcement of the 17 players awarded Elite Player Squad (EPS) deals on theRugby Football Union deals.[11]
Dan is qualified to represent bothEngland andRomania at international level.[3] He has played for theEngland U18s, making his debut againstFrance in March 2019.[6] A year later, he scored two tries in four appearances for theEngland U20s during the abridged2020 Six Nations.[8]
On 30 June 2023, Dan received his first senior international call-up, whenEngland head coachSteve Borthwick named him in the country's 41-man training squad, in preparation for the2023 Rugby World Cup.[12] On 5 August Dan made hisTest debut coming on as a second-half substitute in a warm-up defeat toWales at theMillennium Stadium.[13] Two days later he was included in the squad for the World Cup.[14]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 September 2023 | Stade Pierre-Mauroy,Lille, France |  Chile | 10–0 | 71–0 | 2023 Rugby World Cup |
| 2 | 36–0 | |||||
| 3 | 27 October 2023 | Stade de France,Saint-Denis, France |  Argentina | 21–17 | 26–23 | 2023 Rugby World Cup |
as of 23 September 2023[update][15]
