Will Evans (rugby union)
| Birth name | William Giles Evans | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 28 January 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Norwich, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 102 kg (16 st 1 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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William Giles Evans (born 28 January 1997)[1] is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a openside flanker for Premiership Rugby club Harlequins. He previously played for Leicester Tigers, he made his Tigers debut against Gloucester having graduated from the academy.
Career
[edit]Evans made his Tigers debut on 2 April 2016 against Gloucester at Welford Road; at the age of 19 years and 64 days old he became the second youngest forward to play for Leicester in the Premiership.[2]
Evans was selected for the England U20 team that hosted the 2016 World Rugby Under 20 Championship and scored a try in a pool stage game against Scotland.[3] He started in the final as England defeated Ireland to become junior world champions.[4] He was subsequently named in tournament's "Dream Team".[5] He was also the only Under 20s player to make the Sky Sports Team of the Week at the end of June 2016.[6] Evans received his first call up to the senior England squad by coach Eddie Jones on 1 August 2016 for a pre-season training squad.[7]
On his 20th birthday, Evans scored a try in the 27–20 win over Northampton Saints in which Tigers qualified for the semifinals of the 2016–17 Anglo-Welsh Cup however he injured himself in the process and didn't return until 9 April, when he played for the A-side against Worcester.[8][9] At the end of that season Evans was initially chosen to play at the 2017 World Rugby Under 20 Championship however he was unable to participate due to injury.[10]
In March 2019 it was announced that Evans would join Harlequins.[11] In his first season with the club he started in the Premiership Rugby Cup final which they lost against Sale Sharks to finish runners up.[12] The following campaign saw Harlequins win the Premiership however Evans missed the final due to injury.[13][14]
In April 2024, Evans scored a try in Harlequins 42-41 defeat of Bordeaux Bègles. It was only the second time overall and the first time away that the club had won a knockout game in the European Champions Cup.[15] He also scored a try in their semi-final elimination against Toulouse.[16]
In October 2024, Evans scored twice and won man of the match in Harlequins 36-19 win against Exeter Chiefs to help secure their first win at Sandy Park in 10 years.[17]
Honours
[edit]Harlequins
England U20
References
[edit]- ^ "Will Evans". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- ^ "Leicester Tigers NEWS: Debut boy Will Evans loved the day he 'never thought would happen'". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- ^ "World Rugby U20 Championship 2016: England win while Ireland stun New Zealand". BBC Sport. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ a b Fallon, John (25 June 2016). "Dominant England blow Ireland away in U20 World Cup final". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Four Irish players named in the U20 Team of the Championship". newstalk.com. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- ^ "Team of the week: England's Owen Farrell, Mako Vunipola and Dylan Hartley all star". Sky Sports. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ Jones, Chris (1 August 2016). "England squad: Nathan Hughes in, Danny Cipriani and Chris Ashton out". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ "Tigers book Cup semi spot with derby win". Leicester Tigers. 28 January 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
- ^ "Last-minute try denies Tigers in 'A' League". Leicester Tigers. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ Rowan, Kate (16 June 2017). "How England U20 put faith in youth to close in on another world title". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Stephan Lewies, Glen Young & Will Evans: Harlequins to bring in forwards in the summer". BBC Sport. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Premiership Rugby Cup final: Sale Sharks edge out Harlequins thanks to late comeback". BBC Sport. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Harlequins: Back row Will Evans out for season with fractured tibia". BBC Sport. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ a b Pilnick, Brent (26 June 2021). "Premiership final: Exeter Chiefs 38-40 Harlequins - Louis Lynagh's late double clinches title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ "Investec Champions Cup: Bordeaux 41-42 Harlequins - Quins win thriller to reach semi-finals". BBC Sport. 13 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Mann, Mantej (5 May 2024). "Toulouse battle past Quins to reach Champions Cup final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ Evely, John. "Harlequins tear Exeter Chiefs' defence to shreds to extend their unbeaten run". Devon Live. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
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