One of the Pied Pipers of the first years of professionalism, in terms of the miles he travelled, Slade McFarland found the time to slot two separate stints with the Crusaders into his career journey. A Super 12 original with the Chiefs in 1996, the bulky North Harbour hooker who goes by the unflattering nickname of ‘Buddha’, later played 33 matches for the Blues between 1999 and 2002, with that stint separated by the first of his seasons in Christchurch. Also a regular in the New Zealand Maori side throughout his career, McFarland earned the last of his 52 career Super rugby caps in 2004. He then packed up his bag for a playing expedition at various overseas destinations, with one of the ports of call being the French and European club champions Toulouse, who played host to McFarland during the 2005-2006 season.