After 18 years it is almost time to say farewell to Harlequins’ resident Kiwi. Not every overseas recruit becomes part of the fabric of a team thousands of miles from home but that has long been the case with Nick Evans, a Prem winner with Quins as a player and a coach in 2012 and 2021 respectively. As the former All Black fly-half conceded this week: “It’s going to be really hard to let go of this club.”
And vice versa. During his playing days the skilful, popular Evans personified everything good about the way Quins approached the game. As a coach he has been similarly positive, endlessly seeking fresh ways to crack opposition defences. Quins may have endured a disappointing season but that should not tarnish the sizeable contribution that Evans, now 45, has made during his residency at the Stoop.
So, before this weekend’s clash with Exeter at Allianz Stadium, what has he learned about us? Not the press corps necessarily – among other things he has been an extremely astute columnist for the Guardian – but English rugby more generally. He has some fascinating and forthright views, not least regarding the national team’s prospects at next year’s World Cup. “I’d definitely put them up there as a team who can go and cause some trouble,” stresses Evans. “There are five teams at the top of the world at the moment who, on their day, can all beat each other and go on and win the World Cup. I’d definitely have England in that group. You’ve got so many quality players. Most of the games in the Prem are fantastic and there’s some unbelievable young English talent coming through.”
Encouraging news, but how should they try to play? Evans has spent years mentoring Marcus Smith who, for various reasons, is still vainly attempting to nail down the England starting 10 jersey. Evans knows how that feels, having spent much of his Test career playing second fiddle to the great Dan Carter, but is unsure whether Smith’s skillset is ever destined to fit England’s traditional template. “In terms of Marcus – and you’d probably say the same about Danny Cipriani and players in that mould – Jonny Wilkinson set the stall out as to what an English 10 should be.
“That’s kind of the identity … unbelievable at game management, that George Ford/Owen Farrell type of player. When you put a maverick, for want of a better word, into that system and it’s not going quite right it’ll default back to that English identity. I think he’s always going to be fighting that. Marcus was understandably frustrated [not to start] … he is desperate to play international footy and he’s working on those aspects of the game that he wants to improve. But he’s always going to have an instinctive way of playing. If that doesn’t align to the identity of the team you want to play with there’s always going to be a few issues around that.”
Unless – and Evans speaks as someone who coached England’s backs during the 2023 Six Nations – some kind of middle ground can be located. “You could probably learn from South Africa a little bit. They have a really clear DNA in terms of how they want to play the game. A physical set piece, a kicking style … but what they’ve done is adapted and evolved.” Could England do likewise? “There is an English DNA and I’ve no problem with that. But how do we evolve and fit in a player like Marcus or Henry Arundell who has the ability to play what they see? Everyone has their opinions – ultimately it comes down to the guys in charge.”
Evans’ time up north has also taught him something else: that New Zealand are no longer the global game’s undisputed tactical gurus. “We always used to think that innovation came from New Zealand. Mate, I think that’s gone. I think innovation now is coming from the French, the Irish … up here people are trying to find different ways of playing the game. I think it’s almost a case of New Zealand having to catch up. Losing South Africa from Super Rugby was big for them … playing teams with different styles and gameplans. Up here it’s a different challenge every week. It keeps you on your toes.”
Which is why wherever he goes next – several high-profile sides are courting him – he will do so with genuine sweet sorrow. “Being the competitive person I am you always think: ‘Aw, we could have done more.’ Particularly with that golden generation we had between 2011 and 2015. But when I look back I’m really proud to be the last of that generation who truly lived and breathed what Quins’ identity was.”
Somewhere along the way, sadly, the time-honoured TRUE mantra that once defined Quins – “Tempo, Ruthless, Unpredictable, Enjoyment” – has been mislaid. “If we’re being honest we have been consistently inconsistent around our identity. Tempo is not always allegro … Colin Osborne [the former Quins coach] used to say that. You also need control. We’ve had some fantastic and unbelievable times but we’ve had times when we’ve had people who maybe haven’t understood what that was about.”
For the most part, nevertheless, he will walk away a thankful man, endlessly grateful for the kindness and support shown to himself, his wife, Sally, and their three children. Their youngest boy, Billy, has special educational needs and Evans is adamant that Sally deserves significantly more praise than he does. “For 18 years, to be brutally honest, it’s been all about me as a player and a coach. My wife is superhuman.”
He will also endlessly cherish the wet Friday night in 2008 when, after 29 phases, he dropped a famously low-flying goal to beat Stade Français at the Stoop. “That will be my for ever memory of Quins. I can picture it now. After Nigel Owens and the TMO [television match official] finally confirmed the ball had gone over, the energy and noise released in that stadium for the next 30 seconds was unlike anything I’ve ever heard. It was just unreal.
“When I sit back and I’m 70 years old that’s what I’ll be thinking about. For me it’s not about the rugby or the trophies. It’s the people, the connection and the belonging that you get. I didn’t think being part of a different team as a coach would be as rewarding as being a player but it is. As a foreigner I’ve been unbelievably loved and welcomed into this club. I just want to thank everyone for that.”