Declan O'Donnell is a
New Zealand international rugby sevens player.
[,
International Rugby Board, 11 February 2011] He made his World Series debut in the 2010–11 season, and became an overnight sensation after he scored three tries for New Zealand during the final of the
2011 Wellington Sevens against England.
O'Donnell made his
Super Rugby debut for the
Chiefs in 2012, but was delisted at the end of the season, and joined the Dunedin-based
Highlanders in 2013.
Early life
O'Donnell is from Waikato. He is of mixed Irish-Maori descent he affiliates to
Ngati Tuwharetoa
''Ngati'' is a 1987 New Zealand feature film directed by Barry Barclay, written by Tama Poata and produced by John O'Shea.
Production
''Ngati'' is of historical and cultural significance in New Zealand as it is the first feature film written an ...
and
Ngati Porou iwi . O'Donnell attended
Hamilton Boys' High School
Hamilton Boys' High School is a boys' secondary school in Hamilton, New Zealand and is the largest secondary school in the Waikato region. The school was established as Hamilton High School in 1911 but was later split into separate boys' and gi ...
,
[ where the first match he recalls playing was for Hamilton and against arch rival Kelston High School.][
]
Career
O’Donnell was discovered by New Zealand head coach Gordon Tietjens playing in a local tournament in Te Rapa. Tietjens had tagged him as an "emerging player".[ and put him jointly as top try scorers for the 2010–11 season along with South Africa's Cecil Afrika and Fiji's Seremaia Burotu.][
O'Donnell made his ITM Cup debut for ]Waikato
Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...
in 2011, and was signed by the Chiefs in 2012. After making only one appearance with the side, he made the decision to sign with the Highlanders for the 2013 season.
At the latter part of 2012 O'Donnell joined the Maori AllBlacks tour, after impressing at ITM Cup level for Waikato. His pace and skills would have been a welcomed addition to the Highlanders' squad for the upcoming season. However, he suffered a shoulder injury in Highlanders preseason which required a shoulder reconstruction surgery, which meant no rugby for the remainder of 2013.
In 2020, O’Donnell moved to the United States to play for Old Glory DC
Old Glory DC RFC is a professional rugby union team that is a member of Major League Rugby (MLR), founded in 2018. The organization is led by two local business leaders, former USA Eagles' Paul Sheehy and local club rugby player Chris Dunlavey. ...
in Major League Rugby.
Legal
O'Donnell was involved in an assault involving two doormen at the Outback Inn, Hamilton, after his brother was beaten by the doormen earlier on, during January 2011.[Sevens player involved in bar assault]
/ref> O’Donnell pled guilty in June 2011 to common assault. The charges against him were later reduced, meaning no conviction was recorded. The bouncer was later convicted of assault after it was revealed he had kicked O’Donnell's brother in the face during the initial altercation."Bouncer is convicted after he kicked evicted patron in head"
/ref>
References
External links
New Zealand 7s Profile
Waikato profile
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odonnell, Declan
Living people
New Zealand rugby union players
Chiefs (rugby union) players
Waikato rugby union players
Taranaki rugby union players
Rugby union wings
1990 births
New Zealand people of Irish descent
People educated at Hamilton Boys' High School
New Zealand international rugby sevens players
Commonwealth Games rugby sevens players of New Zealand
Rugby sevens players at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games medallists in rugby sevens
Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand
Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games