Albion hooker Gareth Evans joins the Dragons - Rugby News Update
Gareth Evans, Royal Marine sergeant and the hooker from Plymouth Albion has signed with the London Welsh Dragons.
The Welsh signing deal allows Evans to maintain his job at the Royal Marines, as he has proudly represented the Navy many times in his career. His 2010 last minute winning try against the Army in front of 56,000 spectators
was one of the notable features of his career at the Navy. Among other clubs he has had stints with Devon, Combined Services, and his hometown club, Slough RFC, in Berkshire.
Evans played in the backs at Brickfields for six seasons before he made the move to Exiles, where he is going to be playing as a full time hooker. Graham Dawe, the former Chairman of Rugby of Albion recognized the 30-year-old
as a strong ball carrier and mentored him in the art of hooking, turning to the position permanently only in the past two seasons.
Evans scored two tries in an Albion's 25- 20 triumphs against Leeds Carnegie when they visited the Brickfields the previous year. In addition, the Old Deer Park saw the Exiles and the Dragons play two fixtures in the Championship
round last season, where Evans scored a try in Plymouth’s 34-23 defeat.
Evans played in 24 championship matches for the Plymouth Scarlets past year and finished five times behind the try-line, including a 70- meter fast break try against the Carnegies.
“It's a massive opportunity and I'm really looking forward to next season,” said Evans.
“The Aviva Premiership is a massive challenge but we'll see how we get on. Unlike in the Championship we'll really have to hit the ground running, but hopefully with Lyn in charge he'll guide us through,” he added further.
Concurrently, the London Welsh have been preparing for their pre-season friendlies for the next term. The Exiles are set to meet the Scarlets and Baths in preparation for their first ever appearance in the Aviva Premiership.
These clubs, despite having a long history have rarely met in any league, and therefore these friendlies will have a significant historical importance.
"We're look forward to new experiences," said head coach Lyn Jones.
"London Welsh hasn't been down to Llanelli for a very long time. These games are what they are, friendlies. They're not competitive matches. They're an opportunity for all sides to air players and get them match fit for the
start of the season," the coach added further.
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