- Declan O'Donnell
-
Declan O'Donnell Full name Declan O'Donnell Date of birth 28 November 1990 Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Weight 94 kg (210 lb) School Hamilton Boys' High School Rugby union career Playing career Position centre, wing, fullback[1] Amateur clubs Years Club / team Te Rapa[1] Provincial/State sides Years Club / team Caps (points) 2011 Waikato Super Rugby Years Club / team Caps (points) 2012 Chiefs National team(s) Years Club / team Caps (points)
2011–NZ Condor 7s Team
NZ Secondary Schools 7s Team
New Zealandcorrect as of 30 March 2011. Declan O'Donnell, from Waikato, is a New Zealand international rugby sevens player[2] who made his World Series debut in the 2010–11 season. He became an overnight sensation after he scored three tries for New Zealand during the final of the 2011 Wellington Sevens against England.[3]
Contents
Biography
O'Donnell is of mixed Irish-Maori descent. O'Donnell attended Hamilton Boys' High School,[1] where the first match he recalls playing was for Hamilton and against arch rival Kelston High School.[2] He 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".[1]
Within weeks of his discovery, he was on the main squad. After the first three legs of his debut season, O'Donnell had already scored 17 tournament tries. His hat-trick in the final of the NZI Sevens made him an instant national hero,[3] 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.[2]
O'Donnell's play has been described as possessing pace, size, balance and a gravity-defying sidestep;[2] as a club player, O'Donnell had a reputation for playing "hot and cold".[1]
International career
O'Donnell made his debut for New Zealand sevens team in the 2010 Dubai Sevens.
References
- ^ a b c d e Robson, Toby (7 February 2011). "Another sevens star is born, thanks to Tietjens". The Dominion Post. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/sevens/4623868/Another-sevens-star-is-born-thanks-to-Tietjens. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d 60 seconds with... Declan O'Donnell, International Rugby Board, 11 February 2011
- ^ a b "O'Donnell goes from being unknown to Sevens superstar". Television New Zealand. 6 February 2011. http://tvnz.co.nz/rugby-sevens/o-donnell-goes-being-unknown-sevens-superstar-4013960. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
External links
Categories:- Living people
- New Zealand rugby union players
- 1991 births
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
