Evans makes his mark

By WYNNE GRAY

It was a heck of a comparison, but then Nick Evans has made some job of his first Super 12 season.

Whether his form leads to an All Black trial will not be known until this month, but if Tony Brown's assessment of the young utility back is borne out, New Zealand rugby will have something to celebrate.

Brown does not make outlandish public statements, he has a measured approach to match the lengthy contribution he has given to rugby as a five-eighths in the Deep South.

So when he declared that Evans was the closest player New Zealand rugby had to compare to the Wallabies' Stephen Larkham, the judgment carried some weight.

Evans' Super 12 contribution has already created some ferment in the transfer market. Otago are keen to secure him to replace Brown, who is leaving for a contract in Japan, and North Harbour want to roll over their NPC contract with Evans.

Whatever those outcomes, the 23-year-old has produced the sort of impact others such as Royce Willis, Ron Cribb, Mark Robinson, Andrew Hore, Keven Mealamu, Danny Lee, Corey Flynn, Sione Lauaki and Mose Tuiali'i have when they shifted or were drafted away from their local franchises.

A national sevens player who first represented Harbour in 2001, Evans had a sharp NPC last season when he filled in at first five-eighths for the injured Luke McAlister.

When it came to Blues selection, Evans missed out to Orene Ai'i and Tasesa Lavea, and went into the draft-player pool where he was recruited by Highlanders coach Greg Cooper.

"We had a decent look at two or three players, it was kind of a risk analysis in a way, and Nick Evans has really vindicated our decision to take him," Cooper said.

Evans covered five-eighths and fullback, he was quick, a strong defender and goalkicker and, in an irony, replaced his former Harbour team-mate Willie Walker.

"There just looked to be a spark about Nick and we have been delighted to watch his contribution to the Highlanders where he has been a strong decision-maker and made good assessments under pressure," Cooper said.

"He has good vision for the game and his flair is being able to think quickly and under pressure. The things he achieves in a game are not luck but a product of his skill range."

Cooper agreed that any comparison of Evans with Larkham was high praise, but he liked the judgment.

Like Larkham, Evans was starting his Super 12 career at fullback but the Highlanders coach felt his long-term position would be first five-eighths where his broad base of skills would allow him to control matches.

For a while it appeared as though Evans' sporting talents would be invested in Australian Rules.

He played for the Westlake Boys High first XV in 1998 at first five-eighths when that team won the North Harbour competition. But he also dabbled in Aussie Rules after being inspired by a group talking about that sport at school assembly.

"We played it over summer and it was better than fielding at fine leg at cricket," Evans recalled.

Evans graduated to the NZ under-21 and senior Rules sides, competed against Australian state teams and was offered a trial with the Sydney Swans.

"It is some game - they say some of the guys in the centre run about half a marathon each match," he said.

"The tactical kicking is clever and I learned to drop punt and spiral better, so I put about 10m on every kick."

Although Rules intrigued Evans, he was only going to reach a certain level, while there was a chance he could make more progress in rugby.

His real advance has come this season and, after he was pitched in for his first start as fullback against the Bulls in Pretoria, Cooper has persevered.

"Nick has shown us he has a great temperament and he is able to balance praise with pressure. He has the ability to go all the way," his coach, a former All Black, said.

Evans damaged his hip last week in the dramatic win against the Waratahs but, as a qualified physiotherapist, was certain he would be in top condition for tomorrow's Eden Park rendezvous with the Blues.

"I would not want to miss this for the world," he said.

"There will be pressure to perform, I come from North Harbour but have not played for the Blues - only their development squad. Being around home this year would have been the best option, but I have loved Dunedin and the Highlanders have given me a rugby chance."

Evans had enjoyed the solidarity shown by the southern rugby public and a team culture which extracted the best from each player.

"People like Anton Oliver teach you to be your own person and that has been great. They all graft hard and much of the learning has been about life-skills and making decisions."

Nick Evans

Born: August 14, 1980, North Shore.

Height: 1.78m.

Weight: 84kg.

Representative: NZ Sevens, NZ Colts.

Super 12: Debut v Reds, Invercargill, February 20, 2004.

Tries: 4.

NPC: North Harbour.

* Visit nzherald.co.nz throughout the weekend for Super 12 updates.