Saracens star is England's least experienced player in the Rugby World Cup squad
Theo Dan is a name very few had on their lips at the start of the 2022-23 season but he finished the campaign as a Premiership champion before booking a spot in Steve Borthwick’s 33-man England Rugby World Cup squad.
The Saracens hooker has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top under the tutelage of Jamie George.
Read more: England Rugby World Cup squad – Borthwick names final 33-man group
Ten things you need know about Theo Dan
1. Theo Dan was born on Boxing Day (26 December) 2000 in London, England. He stands at 5ft 10in (1.79m) and weighs 16st 1lb (102kg).
2. Dan was born to Romanian parents Octavian and Diana and grew up in Herne Hill. He speaks Romanian at home and spent holidays between Bucharest and Targu Jiu, according to an interview with Telegraph Sport
3. Dan began playing rugby aged five and played at Blackheath RFC until he was 17, when he stopped to focus on his GCSEs
4. He was a centre until the Wellington Rugby Festival in 2016 when featuring for the Saracens U16s he was first convinced to try his hand at hooking in the front row
5. Dan cut his teeth at Level 7 with Old Alleynians before spending time on loan at Bishop’s Stortford in National One
6. The hooker made his Saracens debut in September 2021 in a win over Harlequins in the Premiership Rugby Cup.
7. He made his first Premiership start in a bonus-point victory over Sale Sharks in October 2022
8. Dan helped Saracens to victory in the 2023 Premiership final against Sale Sharks after coming on after just ten minutes in the final to replace Jamie George, who suffered a concussion in a collision with England team-mate Tom Curry.
9. Dan made his England debut off the bench in the 20-9 defeat to Wales at Principality Stadium on Saturday 5 August 2023. The game was England’s first Rugby World Cup warm-up match.
10. He was named in England’s final 33-man squad for the Rugby World Cup 2023 on 7 August. Dan was the least experienced England player selected by head coach Steve Borthwick with just one cap to his name at the time of the announcement.
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