Darron Paul Nell (born 3 August 1980) is a South African professional rugby union player who most recently with the . His usual positions are flanker and number 8.
Nell played rugby for the 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 where he was converted to a lock.
Career
Free State Cheetahs / Cheetahs
Nell started playing his rugby for the , 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 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 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 , before making a further two appearances in the Premier Division, but didn't feature in the play-off stages of the competition, where the eventually beat the 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 in the semi-finals and also started the final against the 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 during the 2007 Super 14 season Round One match against the 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 , 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 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 20–18 to win the title for the third consecutive season.
Nell featured in a further five matches for the 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 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 in July 2008, but then announced that he was joining French Top 14 team at the end of July 2008.
Nell made a total of 66 appearances for the in Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup competitions between 2002 and 2008 and also played on ten occasions for Super Rugby side the .
Castres
Nell joined French Top 14 team in July 2008 and remained there for the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons. He made his Castres debut in August 2008 against , where his side suffered a 26–27 defeat. He played in a total of 14 matches for the side as they finished 12th in the competition, one place above the relegation zone. He also played three matches for the club in the 2008–09 Heineken Cup competition, but ended on the losing side in all three matches as Castres finished bottom of Pool 2.
Nell made nine appearances for Castres in the 2009–10 Top 14 season, a far more successful season for the side as they finished in 5th spot. He also started in five matches of their 2009–10 European Challenge Cup campaign, scoring his only try in Castres colours in a 47–0 victory over Italian side Rovigo as Castres finished third in Pool 3, failing to qualify to the knock-out stages.
Nell left Castres at the end of the 2009–2010 season, having scored one try in 31 appearances.
Eastern Province Kings / Southern Kings
During the Top 14 off-season in 2009, Nell returned to South Africa to represent the Southern Kings in their first ever match, a 20–8 defeat to the British & Irish Lions during their 2009 tour to South Africa.