From a sevens tournament with three yellow cards to the Ranfurly Shield and a Commonwealth Games silver medal, Declan O’Donnell has one of the most interesting careers in Waikato rugby.

Declan thought he’d wrecked his chances when he picked up three yellow cards at a tournament in Australia. Instead, Gordon Tietjens loved his aggression, and a few months later he was scoring three tries in the Wellington Sevens final.

Since then he has played for the Māori All Blacks, Waikato, the Chiefs and Taranaki, won a Commonwealth Games silver medal in Glasgow, and played rugby in the United States.

This week, we welcome Declan into the ShedLife Studio for a great chat with Jason Davis about the sevens, Super Rugby, the NPC and what it really takes to make it, from the people who get you there to the injuries that nearly end it.

It’s a conversation with someone who has been through the highs and the lows of professional rugby and still loves it.