Bob Evans (rugby union)

Bob Evans

Full name	Robert Thomas Evans[1]
Date of birth	16 February 1921
Place of birth	Rhymney, Wales[2]
Date of death	14 April 2003 (aged 82)
Place of death	Abergavenny, Wales
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	13 st 8 lb (86 kg; 190 lb)
School	Rhymney School
Occupation(s)	police officer
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Flanker
Amateur clubs
Years	Club / team
? ? 1945-1952	Abergavenny RFC Rhymney RFC Newport RFC Monmouthshire
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1947-1951 1950	Wales British Lions[3]	10 6	(3) (0)

Bob Evans (16 February 1921 – 14 April 2003) was a Welsh rugby union flanker who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby for Monmouthshire. He played ten internationals for Wales, and was selected for the British Lions playing in all six tests of the 1950 tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Evans was a hard tackling flanker, but his skill was seen in his intelligent defensive positioning. He would often sit behind the three midfield players in offence to ensure that if passing movements broke down the opposition could not counterattack. He specialised in subduing fly-half play and would often disrupt opposing midfield trios into poor positions causing errors in play without even engaging them.^[4]

Rugby career

Evans won a Welsh Secondary Schools cap while at Rhymney Secondary School, and after leaving school joined the Monmouthsire Police. In 1943 he joined the Royal Air Force and played rugby for several unit teams. After he was demobbed, he rejoined the police force and was elected captain of his local rugby club at Rhymney. He was invited to play for Newport against Swansea in 1945 in a game at St Helens, and joined the black and ambers that season.

On 22 March 1947, Evans was selected for Wales against France at Stade Colombes. Evans was a late substitute, replacing the injured Ossie Williams, and would represent Wales on ten occasions, scoring his one and only try during his second game, in a match against Ireland.

International matches played

Wales^[5]

•  England 1950, 1951
•  France 1947, 1950, 1951
•  Ireland 1947, 1950, 1951
•  Scotland 1950, 1951

Bibliography

• Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0766-3.
• Thomas, Wayne (1979). A Century of Welsh Rugby Players. Ansells Ltd.

References

1. Newport RFC player profiles
2. WRU player profiles
3. Scrum.com Player profiles
4. Thomas (1979), pg 113.
5. Smith (1980), pg 465.