Corey Evans out to spoil Canterbury's party ahead of Crusaders move

Corey Evans simply refuses to go away. The Northland, Maori All Blacks, and Blues midfielder has signed with the Crusaders for Super Rugby Pacific for two years starting in 2027.

Despite three previous ACL injuries and an ankle setback in 2026 that limited his Super Rugby campaign to a single appearance – the Blues’ 59-34 hiding at the hands of the Chiefs in Hamilton on May 30 – Evans continues the long tradition of Northland players heading south.

Inaugural Crusaders Super Rugby winners and All Blacks Con Barrell, Norm Maxwell and Norm Berryman all played for Northland. More recently, Rene Ranger, Rivez Reihana and Heremaia Murray have sustained the southern migration.

But before he calls Te Kaha/One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch home, Evans is hoping to help inspire Northland to their first NPC final win against defending champions Canterbury on Labour Day Monday.

Evans didn’t play in Northland’s stunning 36-12 victory over Canterbury on August 20 when they won the Ranfurly Shield for the first time since 1978. However, he’s featured in the last seven consecutive Northland matches and is increasingly confident in his own game and Northland’s.

“She’s been a journey to get to this point, I tell ya,” Evans told RugbyPass.

“The injury I had this year was to a bone I’ve never heard of and still can’t name. Am I as fast as I used to be? Probably not, but I just want to contribute, and that’s the great thing about this team. Everyone has a role to play, knows it, and is happy doing it.

“I didn’t play on the night we won the Shield, but that’s the greatest night of my Northland career. Taking the Shield back home and sharing it with our community all the way to the top of New Zealand in Cape Reinga are memories we’ll cherish forever.

“We know Canterbury will be a tough game. They’ll adapt to some of the things we did. They’re a class team with experience across the board. But we’ve got a strong forward pack. If we muscle up, then it’s game on. If we get into their 22, we’ve got to come away with points – something we didn’t do when we lost the Shield to Counties (Manukau).

“The coaching staff have done a great job building the team. Ryan Martin is a deep thinker about the game, challenges you to think outside the box, and is a stickler for detail. Robbie Abel has done a great job driving the defence. Everyone has bought into a vision. There is a lot of care for the jersey.”

In the final, Evans will joust with Canterbury and Hurricanes Super Rugby-winning second-five Jone Rova and former All Black centre Dallas McLeod. He’ll also work in tandem with future Crusaders teammate Rivez Reihana to try to shut down those opposing threats.

“The Crusaders have a lot of players leaving in 2026: Dallas McLeod, David Havili. There were opportunities. After talking to coach Brad Mooar, playing with Rivez was enticing. I know Richie Mo’unga’s back, but Rivez is classy. We’ve got a lot of history together. The more rugby I’ve played, the more I’ve valued strong connections,” Evans said.

Waipapakauri is a small settlement in the Far North District of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 at the isthmus of the Aupouri Peninsula. The larger settlement of Awanui lies to the southeast. Waipapakauri is about 12 km north of Kaitaia, the nearest town.

It was in Waipapakauri where Evans’ professional rugby dreams started, coming through the reps with Heremaia Murray. His ambitions gained momentum at Auckland Grammar School, where he captained the First XV in 2018 and made the New Zealand Secondary Schools.

Evans was a New Zealand Under 20 selection out of the Grammar TEC club. In 2021, he debuted for Auckland in a memorable 35-24 win against Canterbury at Eden Park. Harry Plummer scored 20 points; AJ Lam scored three tries.

Auckland were NPC semi-finalists in 2022 with Evans making a dozen appearances and earning a Super Rugby contract. He played 43 minutes for the Blues in an injury-ravaged season.

Auckland was frustratingly inconsistent in 2023, exiting to Canterbury in the quarter-finals. Evans elevated his game under the mentorship of All Black Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and All Blacks Sevens veteran Bryce Heem (22 tournaments). He played nine games and scored tries in victories over Bay of Plenty (32-30), Hawke’s Bay (41-22) and Canterbury (36-29).

But home always beckoned. Since 2024, Evans has played 24 games for Northland.

“There’s something special about playing for your hometown, sharing a journey with guys like Heremaia, you’ve known since primary school when he was pretending to be a goal kicker. He’s a good winger,” Evans laughed.

“When we defended the Ranfurly Shield against Waikato, it wasn’t a Shield challenge to us; it was Sam Nock’s 100th game. Those personal milestones are really important.”

The first NPC final was in 1992. Waikato thrashed Otago 40-5 at Rugby Park in Hamilton, a match forever tainted by the disgraceful eye gouging of Otago and All Blacks fullback Greg Cooper by Waikato prop and All Black Richard Loe.

The home team has won 24 of 34 finals, though Canterbury is the last team to lose a home final in 2022 to Wellington (26-18). Canterbury are 23-2 in all home finals matches since 2007.

Northland lost the 2020 Championship final 36-24 to Hawke’s Bay. You have to go back to 1997 for their last victory in any final. In 1997, Sean Fitzpatrick captained the All Blacks, Jenny Shipley became the first female Prime Minister, and Puff Daddy, the Spice Girls, and Elton John ruled the Billboard charts.

That year, Northland also won the Division 2 championship, obliterating the short-lived Central Vikings 63-10 in the final in Whangarei. That season Northland won 15 of 16 games and scored more than 100 tries. Centurion fullback Hayden Taylor led the way with 16 tries, while standout flanker Justin Collins scored 12 and the late All Black Norm Berryman 10. First five David Holwell scored 204 points. His son, Darcy Holwell, will come off the bench for Northland on Monday.