Young Gun: Gareth Evans – Gloucester No.8

Gloucester No. 8 Gareth Evans hasn’t told his Welsh father yet but he considers himself English and if things go to plan at Kingsholm this season he might have to come clean to the WRU as well.
Choosing England over Wales is fast becoming a trend for Gloucester back rowers with new signing Ben Morgan and U20s flanker Ross Moriarty both opting for the Red Rose.
With overtly Welsh names but distinctly English accents there are similarities aplenty between Evans and Morgan but in terms of style of play they are at polar opposites.
At 20, Morgan was tipping the scales at 21st while Evans, currently the same age, is a comparatively light 17st – and lightning fast with it.
Evans knows he’ll have to nail his colours to mast over eligibility at some stage and he’s not looking forward to explaining his choice to his father.
Evans said: “I wouldn’t tell my Dad because I don’t think he’d be very happy about it but I consider myself English like Ben Morgan.
“Luke Narraway has left Gloucester and if Ben is going to be involved in the Six Nations next year that makes my chance of playing more first-team games a lot higher.”
Dynamism shown in the Premiership Sevens earned Evans his first start for the club in James Simpson-Daniel’s testimonial game against Russia in August and, wasting no time, he powered over for a try after four minutes.
Two more first-team appearances followed against Worcester and Quins but he had to wait until the turn of the year to double his tally in the LV= Cup.
Having featured heavily for the A-League, Gloucester rewarded Evans with a contract renewal in January and he will be part of the senior squad for 2012/13.
While Morgan is known for his sledgehammer approach to No. 8 play and deft hands out of the tackle, Evans prefers to run through gaps rather than opponents.
And with a new coaching set-up under Nigel Davies at Kingsholm, Evans will have his chance to show exactly that in this year’s JP Morgan Sevens before pushing on further in the first team.
He added: “If I get selected again for the Sevens, it will be a brilliant opportunity for me.
“In sevens when you get the ball you have got other options because there’s much more space outside you and you can take people on with speed.
“You can still you use your physicality to overpower someone but you’ve got that choice.
“Having played sevens had made me more confident as a forward and I’ve taken that back into 15s.
“I’ve also really improved defensively over the last season, particularly in one-on-one situations.
Although I’m a forward, playing sevens has really taught me how to control an opponent’s movement and use space effectively, and that can be vital in 15s as well.
“The key is to push on and get as many games as I can for Gloucester next year. Any chance to run out in front of the Shed will be a fantastic experience.”