Born in Rosscarbery, County Cork, Hodnett attended Mount Saint Michael's and first began playing rugby with Clonakilty,[1] only committing to the sport when selected for the Munster under-18s club's team, having previously also played Gaelic games.
[5][6][7][8] Following his performances for Munster A and Ireland under-20s, Hodnett joined the Munster academy ahead of the 2019–20 season,[9] and he made his senior competitive debut for the province in their 2019–20 Pro14 round 11 fixture against South African side Southern Kings in Irish Independent Park, Cork on 14 February 2020, with Hodnett starting at openside flanker.
[12] Having made his comeback from the achilles injury for UCC in the All-Ireland League in previous weeks, Hodnett made his comeback for Munster as a replacement in their 18–10 away defeat against Welsh side Ospreys in round 5 of the 2021–22 United Rugby Championship on 23 October 2021,[13][14] and made his first start for the province in 13 months in their 35–14 away win against English club Wasps in round 1 of the 2021–22 Champions Cup on 12 December 2021, in a match that was also Hodnett's Champions Cup debut.
[26] He was retained in the under-20s squad for the 2019 World Rugby Under 20 Championship when it was confirmed in May 2019,[27] and started in the opening win against England[28] and the defeat against Australia,[29] before a knee injury brought an end to his participation in the tournament.
[30] Hodnett was selected in the Emerging Ireland squad that travelled to South Africa to participate in the Toyota Challenge against Currie Cup teams Free State Cheetahs, Griquas and Pumas in September–October 2022.