Declan O'Donnell was as tense as a coiled spring on that fateful day in November in Waikato when he heard New Zealand sevens coach Gordon Tietjens was going to be in the stands.
Perhaps he could catch Tietjens' eye, and it would open the door for him to move from Te Rapa, a small club in Hamilton, and on to bigger and better things.
'I was really nervous. I was told by my club manager that Tietjens would be watching and I knew this was my chance. Luckily, I played well that day,' said O'Donnell, New Zealand's latest sevens sensation.
As soon as he stepped on to the field, O'Donnell shed his anxiety and became an icy-cool try-scoring machine. His Ferrari-like acceleration, a gravity-defying sidestep and balance, and the power to burst through tackles caught the eye of Tietjens.
'I suppose it was pure luck he performed on that particular day,' Tietjens said. 'I went there with an open mind to view players and in this case Declan certainly showed some good skill sets.'
O'Donnell, 20, did not make a grand entry. His debut at the opening leg of the IRB Sevens World Series in Dubai in December last year was low-key. He scored three tries in the preliminary games but was mostly on the bench on the final day, including the 19-14 Cup semi-final loss to England.