Tigers fans fuming after losing ex-England U20s flanker to Harlequins
As part of Harlequins’ rampant spending spree ahead of next season, the London club have signed Leicester’s Will Evans – as first flagged by RugbyPass in January.
The 22-year-old flanker is regarded as a highly promising player at Leicester, and has even been called up to Eddie Jones’ England squad in the past. This is where he would have encountered current Quins boss Paul Gustard, who is obviously an admirer of his.
To date, Harlequins have made seven new signings this week, which has a blend of experienced and inexperience, with plenty of international caps included.
The Quins fans are keen to see the former England u20s star arrive at the Stoop, with the signing being described by one fan as the “best one yet”. That is some statement given the calibre of players that are arriving next season such as Michele Campagnaro, Scott Baldwin and Martin Landajo.
However, what is most noticeable on social media is the disappointment from Leicester fans, who have seen yet another promising young player leave that has come through their academy.
The Tigers saw Harry Thacker move to Bristol last season which has disappointed many, and Evans is another that has slipped through their fingers.
This is what the fans are saying:
https://twitter.com/J_A_C_K_P/status/1108340622472155137
https://twitter.com/symonvegro/status/1108347708870397955
https://twitter.com/_tomhome/status/1108358596016910336
https://twitter.com/MattDob92/status/1108342711134965760
https://twitter.com/arcticblond1/status/1108348630304542720
https://twitter.com/rheath99/status/1108371113959149569
https://twitter.com/EddyCrowe/status/1108344265585893376
https://twitter.com/mabush1986/status/1108345140140216320
Very bad decision from the club. I understand that will may have said that he wants to leave no matter what but we should be trying to keep players like him. Great prospect but another odd decision by the management team
— liam miller (@liamisbeast12) March 20, 2019
Leicester are going through a tough season, and while they have been able to tie down Manu Tuilagi at Welford Road, many fans would have liked to see some of the next generation remain with the club. While Tommy Reffell is one player that has recently recommitted to the club, that may be at the expense of Evans, which provides both good and bad news.
However, Evans has struggled for game time with the Tigers this year, and a move to Harlequins may be the best thing for his career. England on the whole has had quite a dearth of talented openside flankers over the years, but Evans looks to be a member of the emerging cohort of talented sevens, and could thrive under the tutelage of Gustard.
While some fans can sometimes understand why a player would want to move away, this is one that the Leicester fans are rueing, and fearing that this could be another talent that got away from them.
Comments on RugbyPass
Why cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to comments