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Old Glory DC have confirmed a 36-man roster for their inaugural Major League Rugby campaign. Included are seven new names, among them a pair of Mitre 10 Cup wingers in former New Zealand Sevens star Declan O’Donnell and Northland flyer Renata Roberts-Te Nana.
O’Donnell broke into the New Zealand side as a youngster in 2010 and starred on the World Sevens Series over the course of the season. He switched focus the 15-a-side game the following year with Waikato and earned a Super Rugby deal with the Chiefs in 2012. In November of that year O’Donnell was part of the NZ Māori squad that toured the UK.
A return to the sevens circuit came in 2014 and O’Donnell would win a Silver Medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. His last Seven Series appearance came at the end of 2015, after which he was fully focused on the 15-a-side game. Now 29 years old, O’Donnell brings nearly a decade of provincial experience and a handful of Super Rugby games including two starts for the Blues in 2017.
Another sevens standout but as of yet untested at international level, Roberts-Te Nana is the son of New Zealand Sevens great and now prominent television commentator Karl Te Nana. The 26-year-old has been a regular for the Taniwha in the last two Mitre 10 Cup seasons.
Joining the loose forward contingent as a project player is former UNC collegiate wrestler Cory Daniel. Standing 6’2″ (1.89m), the 24-year-old physical specimen was a multiple-time All-American on the mat and also a standout football player but appears to be entirely new to rugby.
The other four additions each appeared in Old Glory’s spring exhibition campaign. Loosehead prop Khalid ‘Wale’ Williams, flanker Dacoda Worth, scrumhalf Sean Hartig, and flyhalf Tyler Myles have signed with the team. The latter appears to be a replacement for Mitch MacCartney, who was announced in December but is no longer listed with the team.
A detailed current roster can be seen here.
