25 year old Thom Evans forced to announce his retirement from rugby due to injury
Thom Evans has been forced to announce his retirement from rugby at the early age of 25 due to injury.
Evans suffered a horrific spinal injury, which completely incapacitated him for a period of time. The rehabilitation has proved very difficult to deal with and he says the pain and trauma that he still experiences has meant that his time is up in terms of whether he will try and pursue a career in the sport.
Evans plays as a winger and he picked up the injury during the Six Nations game against Wales when he came inside to try and win the ball in a challenge. Scotland coach, Andy Robinson, said the news is extremely sad and it will be difficult to find a replacement who is just as effective in the position that Evans played in.
The news has cast fresh doubt over the safety of rugby and whether referees need to watch challenges during games more closely. The point is that although certain challenges may not have been intended the referee has to be the person who stops the game so a player can receive treatment.
Replacement
Robinson could choose from a number of replacements for Evans but it is important that they all have the right qualities that a winger needs in order to do well. They have to be strong and fast because this is necessary in the wider areas to break the opposition defence.
They clearly have to match the same levels of passion that Evans displayed because very few players would put themselves in harm's way to try and win a ball that nine times out of ten they wouldn't get near.
They've also got to be able to read the game well. Evans got injured because he read that the ball was about to be moved inside to another Wales player. Therefore, he darted across to try and cut the ball out and win it back for his team. Unfortunately for him he ended up getting an injury, which has forced the end of his rugby career.
Wary
The news could have a negative effect on many members of the Scotland squad. Evans was clearly a well liked and respected young man who was popular in the dressing room. There will be players who are gutted at the way that Evans has been forced out of the game and it could put them on the back foot.
They can look at the nature of this injury and see it as truly horrific, which it is. The point is that just news of the injury around the dressing room could force players to be a little more cautious when they go into games. However, Robinson has already said that the players owe it to Evans to put the extra effort in for their fallen comrade.
This incident will go down as one of the black marks against the sport and it could make a number of people in a number of positions more wary. This is because it raises so many questions on so many levels. The issues of safety, aggression and the responsibility of referees have all been raised and all have to be addressed.
Advice
Scotland played well in Argentina, which shows they would have been spurred on by the original news of Evans' injury. Now that they know he will never play again it could mean that the side really goes for it in their next game. Don't be afraid to back them and work out the players who are most likely to feel a personal level of debt to Evans.
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