Bob Evans

Rugby player for Wales and the British Isles

Robert Thomas Evans, rugby player and police officer: born Rhymney, Monmouthshire 16 February 1921; married (two sons, one daughter); died Abergavenny, Monmouthshire 14 April 2003.

The rugby player Bob Evans was a breakaway forward who played on 10 occasions for Wales, including the Triple Crown win of 1950 and played in all six Tests for the British Isles on their 1950 tour of New Zealand, Australia and Ceylon.

Evans began his rugby career at the local school in Rhymney, won a Wales Secondary Schools cap in 1943 and, after a spell in the RAF, joined the seniors. He was selected as Rhymney club skipper in season 1945-46, but left in September 1945 to join Newport, whom he skippered in 1951-52.

He played in five "Victory" internationals for Wales and also played for both Newport and Monmouthshire against the Kiwis, the powerful 2nd New Zealand Empire Forces, in 1945-46, with Monmouthshire gaining a famous victory by 15-0 in the match at Pontypool Park. In his season as skipper, the South African Springboks toured, but Evans had a bad calf injury in his club's 10th match and not only missed the touring side for club and country, but was forced to retire from the game altogether. In 150 club matches he scored 39 tries.

He had joined the police force in Gwent, and retired as a detective chief superintendent in 1976. His rugby never halted though, and he became chairman, selector and life member of Newport.

He made his début for Wales against France at the Stade Colombes, Paris, in 1947 and in his next match against Ireland at Swansea, he scored a typical try as he followed a superb break by the scrum-half and captain Haydn Tanner. The fly-half Billy Cleaver was at Tanner's side and, when he reached the Irish full-back John Higgins, Evans was perfectly positioned to take the scoring pass for the only try of a 6-0 win.

His third cap was not until the match at Twickenham in 1950, when Wales defeated England by 11-5 for only their second win at rugby's HQ in 40 years. He played in a 3-2-3 scrummage that had the skipper John Gwilliam and the lively Ray Cale in the back row with him, and he helped send the prop Cliff Davies over for one of the two Welsh tries. He and Cale then destroyed Scotland's backs at Cardiff and the Triple Crown was gained for the first time in 39 years when Ireland were beaten by 6-3 in Belfast, with the Championship being secured after a 21-0 success over France in Cardiff.

In 1951 he again played in the four Championship matches, the last of which was in Paris when he had just reached his 30th birthday.

He joined many of the Triple Crown and Championship-winning side in 1950 to tour with the British Isles in New Zealand and Australia, with one match played at Colombo as the tour party returned by boat. On that tour he played in all four Tests in New Zealand, whilst on the shorter trip in Australia he appeared in both Tests.

He was a loser only twice in his 10 appearances for Wales.

Howard Evans