Danny Wilson’s tone was telling. With a shrug and a half-grin, the Harlequins head coach clearly knew this was a big statement; even after a thrilling win over Glasgow Warriors, in which Will Evans excelled.
“We had some big players in the back row who are unavailable and that is a Scottish international in the back row [we were playing against]” said Wilson. “And I thought Will Evans was the best of it, in terms of what he did during the breakdown. I thought he was fantastic on that battlefield.”
A tense, topsy-turvy match was ultimately decided by two contrasting sin-bin periods. Harlequins scored two tries while Sione Tuipulotu served his ten minutes just before half-time. Later, with Joe Marler gone after a high tackle, the hosts kept Glasgow scoreless thanks to a dogged defensive spell.
The duel between two open flankers, Evans and Rory Darge, was riveting; mainly because the collapse was chaotic. Darge, Scotland’s co-captain for the Six Nations, is a fantastic player. You always have to watch a game twice to appreciate his influence around the tackle. The 24-year-old was a threat against England at Murrayfield in February, disrupting relentlessly by wrestling and shunting white shirts over the ball.
For Wilson to suggest that Evans overshadowed Darge on Friday night was a huge compliment. On the other hand, Evans has a pedigree. In 2016, at the age of 19, he was drafted into an England training squad by Eddie Jones and has proven himself as an elite poacher in the intervening years. Since the start of the 2019-2020 Premiership season, Evans has averaged 1.65 Jackal turnovers per 80 minutes of league action. Only Jack Willis (2.1) was more productive. Tom Curry is third with 1.33.
Evans remains uncapped. At the age of 27, that could well be the case. But he seems to be at peace with it. In a candid interview with RugbyPass last year, Evans admitted a feeling of ‘underachievement’ had haunted him. Now, he revealed, the desire for Test involvement has been “put to bed”. Wilson might advise him to keep the faith.
“I would like to see him get a chance with England because he has been fantastic this year,” Wilson added. “He punches way above his weight. I think he’s taking his failures better – he’s probably had too many before – and I really hope he gets a chance.
More data from Stats Back up this conjecture. Evans conceded a penalty every 80 minutes in the Premier League last season. That figure is currently lower at 0.59. As Wilson hinted, Evans is growing into a deliberate, cunning operator.
There seems to be quite a queue in front of him as far as the England picture is concerned, even if Ben Earl is still considered a number 8. Not counting Jack Willis or Lewis Ludlam, you also have the incumbent Sam Underhill and Tom and Ben Curry , Tom Pearson and perhaps even Guy Pepper, who was called up by Steve Borthwick for the final week of the Six Nations.
That said, Champions Cup matches – especially in the knockout stages – are cited as the next step down from Test level. These are shop windows that must also offer a personal challenge. Facing Darge, who will certainly be close to the British and Irish Lions squad next summer, Evans was highly influential. Stats Perform counted 23 tackles, the first of which was Tuipulotu’s lasso in midfield. Watch Alex Dombrandt pounce and almost get the turnover:
Evans’ attacking skills are perhaps underrated and he beat Warriors with a clever chip later in the first quarter:
Here, in the 15th minute, Evans and Darge start opposite each other on a put-in in Glasgow:
George Horne whips a pass towards the nearest touchline and what follows is fascinating. As Stafford McDowall collects the loose ball, look where Evans and Darge are:
McDowall avoids Marcus Smith and André Esterhuizen, but Evans pushes him to the ground and digs in, seemingly beating Tuipulotu to the ball. Darge flies in to clear Evans, who is clearly frustrated that the referee, Tual Trainini, has not rewarded him:
In the next phase, Horne shoots close to the ruck. Smith cuts off the Warriors scrumhalf and Evans is fumbling again. Darge has to turn him away from the breakdown:
A hallmark of Evans’ game is that he is rarely in contact for long periods of time. Here he is back on his feet and communicating with Trainini as the next phase begins. Evans’ gestures appear to indicate that he has lifted the ball from McDowall’s grasp. Trainini responds by arguing that Evans has not released the carry between tackling and jabbing:
This slow motion replay shows how referees should watch. Evans appears to pick up the ball from McDowall with his left hand. However, he never lets go of McDowall with his right hand. Trainini has a point, it seems:
But soon after, Evans is rewarded. The sequence opens with his own thumping tackle on Jack Dempsey; a great example of a defender punching above his weight considering Dempsey, also huge against England in the Six Nations, is listed at 111kg and Evans at 99kg. Dombrandt helps here, but Evans is robust in contact. Once again he remains standing and steps into the collapse to subtly disrupt:
In the next phase, Horne sees space around the edges. Will Collier fills that quickly and drives his man back. Evans is on the scene. He follows the tackle, dives lower than Matt Fagerson, another Scotland regular, and clams up. The question is whether he arrives before the ruck is formed, but fortune favors the bold – as is often the case at the breakdown – and Trainini rewards him with a penalty this time:
Jackal turnovers form regular competitions. From this Harlequins kicked to the corner and scored their first try. However, the margin of error is small. Sometimes jackallers can cause penalties from the opponent by tackling the ball before a fellow defender has rolled away from the tackle. Darge did this in the first half on Friday, ironically after flying over Evans.
We continue with the next sequence as Horne feeds Dempsey. Note Evans’ position:
In this case, after André Esterhuizen and Oscar Beard teamed up to beat Dempsey, there is a chance for Jackal. Evans resists. He gets into a position to compete, but steps out of the slump to fill the defensive line:
One phase later, Danny Care accelerates to hit Tom Jordan. Evans lurks close to the ball again and heads inside. Darge has to backpedal around the back foot, while Horne and Max Williamson also shunt into the clear-out. Evans is still stealing possession. But here Trainini chastises Care, feeling that the cleanup crews are being hindered by his failure to roll away fast enough:
It’s tough for Evans, who lies on the ground in pain. Jackalling requires serious courage:
Glasgow scored twice in quick succession from here and went ahead when Evans was trapped in a ruck and awarded a penalty. Then came Marler’s sin bin and a determined period of defending against the Harlequins. With seconds left on the yellow card, and Warriors applying pressure in the opposition 22, Tuipulotu carries:
Watch Marcus Smith call Evans out. Evans, fast over the ground and adept at untangling a collapse, continually rushed into this position, which helped Harlequins maintain width in their defensive line:
Now follow the open side. He stops Horne’s arrow, releases the carrier and then addresses the ball again. He doesn’t get the turnover, but the ruck lasts four or five seconds; just enough time for a 14-man defense to set itself up:
Esterhuizen forces a penalty a few phases later and Marler returns to fully complement Harlequins.
Evans was also integral to the maul attempt that sent his team through. As Sam Riley throws to Dombrandt, who is lifted by Marler and Dillon Lewis, Evans rushes in to secure the ball:
The design is tight, with Evans central:
And as the lifting pod’s drive shifts, leaving Lewis, Dombrandt and Marler behind, Evans is seen at the front of the battle as it races across the try-line:
With Harlequins spilling the subsequent restart, they had one last attack to defend. Here is Evans’ 23rd and final tackle of the match. He goes low on Lucio Sordoni and fights to get away from the ball to avoid being awarded a penalty. He is exhausted, yet clear in mind:
Steve Borthwick admires diligent, tough, intelligent players and Evans is one of them. The England head coach will also be aware that Evans, with Jack Willis at Toulouse, is the best jackaller available to him.
Sam Underhill has been close to his formidable best at times during this Six Nations, but Borthwick will be constantly thinking of ways to improve England ahead of the 2027 World Cup. A slump threat like Evans could strengthen Felix Jones’ aggressive defensive system and create more chances can yield to attack in transition. Just look at Kwagga Smith’s impact from the bench in the World Cup final.
Either way, Borthwick will face Harlequins in their quarter-final this weekend. A trip to Stade Chaban-Delmas to take on Bordeaux-Bègles is a mighty task that requires special performances, especially in defense. As things stand, Harlequins are 15-point underdogs. You sense that Evans is the kind of character who will relish those opportunities.