The Australian youngster was in fine form at the HSBC Sydney Sevens over the weekend notching up some impressively big numbers across the tournament. O’Donnell was one of the key factors in Australia’s success with outstanding contributions in attack and defence. 

The pacey back was consistently brilliant across all three days, leading the DHL Performance Tracker on day two and three before finishing with an incredible total of 58 points. That consistency of performance is what the DHL Impact Player award is all about.

Rob Vickerman, sevens series commentator and DHL Rugby Ambassador, was very impressed by the Australian.

“Ben O’Donnell typified the performance of this young, talented Australian squad. They were relentless in their attack and committed in defence," he said.

It is evident that players wouldn't choose to go one on one with O’Donnell and at times, even if you have two on him it might not be enough. His ability to come off two feet and his strong fend make him a nightmare to defend. This is evident in his 10 line breaks and six tries for the Sydney tournament.

However, what set him apart from every other player last weekend was his hunger in everything he did. He carried a monster 27 times, made 18 tackles and offloaded the ball three times. He is a workhorse but a fancy one, that scores lots of tries.

After three rounds of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2018, Fiji's Amenoni Nasilasila and South Africa's Seabelo Senatla share the lead in the DHL Performance Tracker with 130 points, followed by Australia's Ben O'Donnell (123), Canada's Harry Jones (121) and Justin Douglas (117).  

 

DHL Impact Player Table - Sydney
POS Player Total Country Tackles Breaks Offloads Carries Total
1 Ben O'Donnell Australia 7s 58 Australia 7s 18 10 3 27 58
2 Perry Baker USA 7s 51 USA 7s 11 13 5 22 51
3 Eroni Sau Fiji 7s 50 Fiji 7s 21 6 4 19 50
4 Amenoni Nasilasila Fiji 7s 47 Fiji 7s 20 9 2 16 47
5 Lewis Holland Australia 7s 46 Australia 7s 18 6 3 19 46
6 Justin Douglas Canada 7s 44 Canada 7s 16 5 3 20 44
7 Seabelo Senatla South Africa 7s 42 South Africa 7s 13 10 1 18 42
7 Glenn Bryce Scotland 7s 42 Scotland 7s 13 4 6 19 42
7 Harry Jones Canada 7s 42 Canada 7s 19 3 3 17 42
10 Max McFarland Scotland 7s 41 Scotland 7s 17 7 0 17 41