Darron Nell

Darron Paul Nell (born 3 August 1980) is a South African professional rugby union player who most recently with the Eastern Province Kings. His usual positions are flanker and number 8.

Nell played rugby for the Free State Cheetahs between 2002 and 2008, mainly appearing as a flanker or number 8, before a short spell in France with Castres and then moving to the Eastern Province Kings where he was converted to a lock.

Nell started playing his rugby for the Free State Cheetahs, making his first class debut for them during the 2002 Vodacom Cup competition. He made his Currie Cup debut during the 2003 Currie Cup competition, starting their Round 3 match against Western Province in Bloemfontein and helping his side to a 36–36 draw. He also scored his first senior try in the same competition in their match against the Golden Lions in a 34–30 victory as he played in a total of eleven matches for the men from Bloemfontein.

Nell made seven appearances during the 2004 Vodacom Cup competition, but missed the entire 2004 Currie Cup Premier Division campaign through injury. He returned to action during the 2005 Currie Cup qualifying series, starting their final match of the series and scoring a try in a 43–0 victory over the Griffons, before making a further two appearances in the Premier Division, but didn't feature in the play-off stages of the competition, where the Free State Cheetahs eventually beat the Blue Bulls 29–25 in the final to win the title for only the second time in their history.

Nell was a key member of the squad that played in the 2006 Vodacom Cup competition, starting 12 of their 13 matches during the competition and scoring four tries as they finished eighth in the competition. He remained an important player for their 2006 Currie Cup Premier Division campaign, where he also started in 12 of their matches during the season. This time around, he featured in the play-offs, playing in their 30–14 victory over the Sharks in the semi-finals and also started the final against the Blue Bulls in a repeat of the 2005 final. The season ended in dramatic fashion as the two sides played out a 25–25 draw in the regulation 80 minutes and a 28–28 draw after extra time to share the title.

In 2007, Nell was also involved in Super Rugby for the first time. He made his debut for the Cheetahs during the 2007 Super 14 season Round One match against the Stormers and appeared in the first five matches of the competition. He scored his first Super Rugby try in their 49–28 home defeat to the Crusaders, followed by his second try later in the same match to get his first senior brace. He made one appearance in the 2007 Vodacom Cup competition – a 25–18 defeat to Western Province at the Seisa Ramabodu Stadium in Bloemfontein – before once again being an instrumental player in their 2007 Currie Cup Premier Division campaign, making 13 appearances. He once again played in the final, with the Cheetahs beating the Golden Lions 20–18 to win the title for the third consecutive season.

Nell featured in a further five matches for the Cheetahs in the 2008 Super 14 season and featured in two matches in the 2008 Vodacom Cup. The last one of those – a 35–20 victory over the Boland Cavaliers in Bloemfontein – turned out to be his last appearance for the side. He was an unused replacement for their 2008 Currie Cup Premier Division match against the Blue Bulls in July 2008, but then announced that he was joining French Top 14 team Castres at the end of July 2008.

Nell made a total of 66 appearances for the Free State Cheetahs in Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup competitions between 2002 and 2008 and also played on ten occasions for Super Rugby side the Cheetahs.