The run-up to Christmas is where rugby becomes a sport for the jet-setters, with international teams coming up against each other in the Autumn Nations Series before the best clubs in Europe go head-to-head in the Champions Cup.
But this experience of departure lounges and in-flight meals has not been limited to these competitions, as for Spr Michael McDonald (RE) the last few weeks have also been filled with thousands of air miles as he has taken the first steps towards cracking into the competitive world of international Sevens.
For individuals who are in their mid-to-late 20s and who come from an Army family, like Spr McDonald and younger brother, Cameron, being born in Germany is not unusual. The pair’s mother and grandfather are also from the country, deepening those family ties, and with an ever-increasing number of nations taking international rugby more seriously, especially on the Sevens circuit, opportunities are there for those who seek to grasp them.
And, as Spr McDonald explains, things moved quickly from there.
“I touched base with them through social media during Covid,” he says. “I then saw a mate play for them in Toronto because they had a few injuries – and he’s not German at all! – and he gave me the coach’s details.
“I got invited for a four-day trial in Heidelberg with my brother and passed that, and we got invited to play for the team in Zimbabwe. We both played well and scored a try each in the final.
Brothers, Sapper Michael McDonald and Sapper Cameron McDonald represented Germany at the Zimbabwe 7s competition. Germany won the tournament with the brothers scoring a try each in the Final.
Image provided by Michael McDonald
“But then I didn’t know I’d been selected for Dubai! I had to give the training and playing kit back at the end of the tournament!
“They said ‘Thank you, we’ll be in touch’, but I didn’t think they would be and flew back. Then literally the next day they were on the phone and asking me to go to Dubai, giving me an hour to give them an answer.
“My chain of command were extremely supportive and allowed me to go, and the Germans had a flight booked for me to Dubai!”
Indeed, Spr McDonald’s feet have barely touched ground in a whirlwind of rugby which has also included three matches for the Royal Engineers in the Army’s Corps Championship League 1.
With three wins from those matches, plus a tournament win at the Zambezi Sevens and a semi-final place in the Men’s International Invitation tournament in Dubai, there has been plenty of success to enjoy as well.
The brothers feature regularly for their Corps side the Royal Engineers in the Army Rugby Union Merit League 1 Competition.
Image © The Corps of Royal Engineers
“Dubai was awesome,” Spr McDonald says. “We had a tough pool but our match against Ireland was class in the quarters. We took it seriously and didn’t have much down time during the weekend.”
The 27-year-old has experienced plenty of senior rugby, from being in the London Scottish Academy through to scoring a try in the 2022 Inter-Services Championship win over the Royal Navy in front of 60,000-plus at Twickenham.
He has also been a regular in the Army Sevens team which challenges at the top end of the Super Sevens Series, year in, year out, but acknowledges that the step up to international competition has needed plenty of adjustment, on and off the field.
Mikey has represented the Army at 7s and 15s. He scored a crucial try in part of the Army’s victory at Twickenham in the 2022 Army v Navy match.
Images – Alligin Photography © Lee Crabb (L) Army v Navy Match (R)
“I’m quite a fit lad, but Sevens fitness is a different kettle of fish,” he says. “The standard is really high. They’re a full-time professional Sevens programme. They would compete with Samurai and the Army on the Super Sevens Series, just because of the level of fitness. They also train in a completely different way, in the gymnasium all the time working on grappling for rucking and mauling.
“But my skillset and ability as a playmaker, they don’t really have that in the team, they play a structured kind of game. So I went straight into the squad and they wanted me to give direction to the team.
“Everything is such high quality and it’s made me pick up my own standards as well. One error can cost you an entire match in Sevens, so it’s taught me that I’ve got to keep my standards top class – I can’t give a bad pass or a bad kick.
“I’ve seen how the top players do it, and I want to be a top player.”
With those two tournaments under his belt Spr McDonald is looking ahead to 2023, when Germany will be seeking to take the next step on their journey as a nation towards the top level of international Sevens.
“There’s going to be a lot of travelling,” he says. “We’re playing at Twickenham, Toulouse, the whole Challenger Series, and if we finish in the top four we’ll play the bottom four of the World Series to see who gets into the World Series for the following season. I’d like to think we’d be pushing for that. Everything we enter we want to win.”
Nevertheless, despite all that excitement Spr McDonald is still committed to his day job in the Armed Forces and helping the red shirts stay ahead of the competition.
“As much as I’d like to commit full-time, I’m still in the Army, which I want to have as my career,” he says. “I still want to play Army rugby, which I enjoy, and the Army Sevens team put me in good stead for this kind of step up with Germany.”
Words © New Dogs, Old Tricks
Header and Featured Image – Alligin Photography © Scrumpix
