SHANE HURNDELL
Elation overflowed in the Evans family's Havelock North household after oldest son Bryn was named yesterday in the All Blacks team to play France in Dunedin on Saturday.
However, the celebration was immediately followed by the start of a juggling act for parents Dai and Jenny and younger brother
Rhys.
"We're still organising flights but it looks like Rhys and I are going to Dunedin and Jenny is going to Gisborne," Dai said today.
Bryn's youngest brother, Gareth, is in the Napier Boys' High School 1st XV which opens their Super 8 campaign with a match against Gisborne Boys' High School on Saturday. Rhys has opted to give his Havelock North team's third-round Maddison Trophy encounter against Napier Technical in Havelock a miss so he can accompany his father on the trip south.
Dai said: "Depending on the score, we're hoping all the All Blacks, including Bryn, will get a run against France on Saturday."
Should Hurricanes and Kelt Capital Magpie Bryn, who is the All Blacks lock reserve, get game time he will become Hawke's Bay's first test All Black since Norm Hewitt in 1995. Bryn's Havelock North clubmate, hooker Hika Elliot, played in the ABs' midweek game against Munster during last year's end-of-year tour of the United Kingdom but didn't get off the bench in test matches.
A Napier Boys' High School product, Bryn, 24, was called into the All Blacks wider training squad as cover for injured Blues lock Ali Williams 10 days ago. Williams failed a fitness test this week, which resulted in Bryn's promotion yesterday.
"This is a great opportunity for Bryn," Dai Evans, who is also president of the Havelock North Club said.
"It's a great boost in the arm for Havelock North and Magpies rugby."
Dai coached Bryn from fifth through to 12th-grade level at the Havelock club.
"We had some good teams in those days, with the likes of Hika, Amos Ioasa, Paratene Edwards, Jaryd Warren and Nathan Waites playing," Dai recalled.
Bryn is a first-year Hurricane. He had three starts for the Canes this season as well as eight appearances off the bench .
Last year Bryn made three appearances for the Blues. He was a 2002 New Zealand Secondary Schools representative and made the first of his 55 first-class appearances for the Magpies the following year.
