Players like Evans, who put their bodies on the line time and time again, seemingly with no concern for their own well-being, deserve to celebrate the highs as they know, better than anyone, the lows come with the territory.
The desperate season-ending injury suffered by Tom Curry, below, is another example of how the breakdown warriors have become collateral damage in the quest for priceless turnover ball.
“At the start of every season, you say to yourself at some stage I am going to pick something up, so you just have to knuckle down, grit your teeth and go for as long as you possibly can until something happens when you have to sit on the sidelines for a bit,” Evans said, candidly. “You have to enjoy the periods where you are playing because you know at any point it can stop for a while.”
Evans himself is no stranger to injuries, most trips abroad serve as a reminder of the leg he broke towards the end of the 2020/21 season as the foot-and-a-half-long metal rod he had inserted often triggers the airport security alarm.
At that point in the campaign, the former Leicester Tiger had 29 Premiership turnovers – 12 more than any other player and was thinking he might even eclipse Jack Willis’ league record of 46.
“That record was a bit outrageous. Jack did so well to get it that year,” he said.
“I thought I might get close the season before last but I broke my leg with six games to go so my season got cut short and that was that dream over.
This story is from the November 26, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
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This story is from the November 26, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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