Ben Donnell

Ben Donnell is an English back-row forward plying his trade with Cardiff Rugby in the United Rugby Championship, born on 2 August 2000. A flanker by trade, he joined the Welsh capital club to add competition and physicality to Cardiff's back-row rotation. Donnell's game is shaped around the core demands of the openside and blindside roles — tackle volume, breakdown industry and a willingness to carry into the heaviest contact. Those traits align with the identity Cardiff have sought to build in the forwards during their URC and EPCR Challenge Cup campaigns, where the back row is often asked to set the tone for defensive intensity. Working within a squad that mixes experienced internationals with academy graduates, Donnell's role is to press for consistent matchday selection and provide reliable output in the close exchanges. Cardiff's home base at the Arms Park demands a particular brand of forward play, and players in Donnell's mould — industrious, physical and defensively reliable — fit naturally into that template. The aim over the coming seasons is to cement a regular starting spot and push for broader recognition within Premiership Rugby's wider pool of English flankers.