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What it's like as New Zealand's oldest returning Super Rugby player after nine years abroad
It’s been 10 years since new Highlanders lock Bryn Evans last played Super Rugby.
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Now the 36-year-old is in the running to debut for his new team when the Highlanders host the Crusaders in the Super Rugby Aotearoa season-opener at Forsyth Barr Stadium this Friday.
Playing under the closed roof of the 30,000-capacity stadium is a new experience in itself for Evans, who said at a press conference on Monday that the last time he played in Dunedin was at Carisbrook, which was demolished in 2013.
“There’s a few things a bit different,” Evans laughed. “I’m pretty sure back then I had to worry about the weather, so that’s one thing I won’t have to worry about now.”
Evans’ last match in Dunedin would have come while playing for Hawke’s Bay against Otago in the 2010 ITM Cup, a campaign of which he played all 13 games for the Magpies en route to an eighth-place finish.
That came about a year after he made his All Blacks debut at the same ground, coming off the bench against France in a shock 27-22 defeat.
He would make his second and final test appearance against the same opposition, again off the bench, a week later in Wellington, when the All Blacks redeemed themselves with 14-10 win.
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However, failure to regain his place in the national side, and an underwhelming 2011 Super Rugby season with the Hurricanes, which saw him feature just once off the bench, led to Evans’ departure to Europe.
After stints in England and France with London Irish, Biarritz and Sale Sharks, Evans made the Northern Hemisphere his home for nine years between 2011 and 2020.
He impressed there too, earning selection in a Premiership Team of the Decade, selected by for England and British and Irish Lions midfielder Will Greenwood.
However, an opportunity to return home and play for Hawke’s Bay alongside younger brother and one-test All Blacks flanker Gareth was one too hard to turn down for Evans, as he said when it was announced he had return to the Magpies last year.
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He said that he didn’t have any set-in-stone goals to make a Super Rugby comeback upon his return to New Zealand, but conceded it was “a bit hard to say no” when the Highlanders offered him his second chance at that level.
Reds captain James O'Connor has put Super Rugby AU on notice, warning that his side still have plenty of room for improvement despite thumping the Waratahs 41-7 on Friday. https://t.co/wyEDbJHUQe
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 22, 2021
“It sort of just snowballed a little bit. I started playing for the Bay and just enjoyed being in that sort of environment,” Evans said.
“Browny [Highlanders head coach Tony Brown] came calling and that didn’t really take much for me to get down here.”
The influence of Gareth played its role in getting Bryn back to Dunedin, given the Hurricanes star played for the Highlanders between 2014 and 2017 and won a Super Rugby title with the franchise in 2015.
“He was the first port of call and he had nothing but good things to say about Dunedin life. Obviously he was a bit younger when he was down here so he was doing a few different things that I’ll be doing.
“But, the environment, the coaches, he said if you get a chance to be part of something like that, then just go all in.”
It seems that advice has held true, as Evans said he has enjoyed his time in Dunedin and with the Highlanders after being named in this year’s squad in December.
“It’s been really enjoyable. It’s been tough, a tough pre-season, and the bones have been creaking a few days, but it’s been good. You kind of just get up and go again and put your best foot forward.”
The fact he gets on well in a squad with teammates 15 years his junior – like Folau Fakatava, Scott Gregory and Connor Garden-Bachop – is a testament to the culture and cohesion at the Highlanders.
Evans said he’s fortunate that he has a fellow old head in the squad in the form of 34-year-old prop Josh Hohneck, who is also returning to Super Rugby after a lengthy spell in England.
“I’ve got Josh Hohneck here to kind of bounce a few old stories off, but other than that, we’re up there by a bit [in terms of age],” he said.
“But it’s kind of good. It motivates you to keep going.”
Super Rugby AU has kicked-off for 2021, but which five players impressed the most in the opening weekend of the competition? #SuperRugby #SuperRugbyAU https://t.co/jS7Ws7K1fg
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 22, 2021
Evans featured in the Highlanders’ two pre-season fixtures against the Crusaders and Hurricanes over the past fortnight and remains in contention for selection this weekend.
Brown said after his side’s win over the Hurricanes in Alexandra last Friday that some tough selection decisions would have to be made, including at lock, but Evans made it clear that, regardless of his age, he wants to play the reigning champions on Friday.
“They’re the pinnacle and anyone who goes out there to play rugby at this level wants to test themselves against the best. To get that opportunity, I’d really relish that. Just have to try and put my hand up.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Oh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
2 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
2 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
7 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
26 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to comments