The 20-year-old second-row, who stands 6ft 6in and weighs around 19st, has made a huge impression on coaches in the Welsh rugby pathway despite injury setbacks. He was part of Wales' recent U20s World Championship squad in Georgia and has now been backed to make an immediate impact in the senior pro game by Wales coach Richard Whiffin.
Speaking about the next crop of players who have just graduated from U20s rugby, Whiffin told the Sportin Wales podcast: “I’m really looking forward to seeing Steff Emanuel get some proper minutes at Cardiff. I think he's going to put a lot of pressure on those midfield spaces. He is someone that is old beyond his years, he's a very smart rugby player. I think this is the opportunity that he really wants to break through. He is well thought of from a pathway and a national depth chart [perspective] so it will be interesting to see how he kicks on.”
“Caio James at Gloucester is someone else who was outstandingly physical for us. He punches well above his weight and he’s well thought of at Gloucester, so it will be interesting to see if he gets an opportunity to push on like Deian [Gwynne] had the year previous.”
“Then there’s a couple of slow burners up front, George Tuckley and Jac Pritchard, loosehead and tighthead. They probably won't necessarily get heavy URC minutes, but I think those guys should be really pushing for some good SRC minutes for us to see them maybe in a couple of years’ time.”
“Will Evans is the guy that I think could come from nowhere. He’s an absolute enforcer. He is definitely a sleeper, he’s going to move some bodies in the URC.”
Rave reviews from former players
Evans has also caught the attention of former Wales internationals Liam Williams and Bradley Davies, the latter of whom is now a coach at the Scarlets. Williams added: “Bradley [Davies] loves him. I was down at the Scarlets at the back end of last year and Brad absolutely loves him. He'll run through a brick wall.”
Evans' own ambitions
In a recent interview with WalesOnline, Evans made no bones about his ambitions and physical approach, declaring he wanted to become the enforcer of the Scarlets pack.
“I'm a big man who prides myself on my ball-carrying and tackling. I love being physical and being tough. I want to run over people. I'd like to think I can bring a physical edge. That's my point of difference. I just hit things as hard as I can.”
Pathway to the Scarlets
Evans hails from the village of Chobham in Surrey and qualifies for Wales through his father, who was born in St Asaph in Denbighshire. After coming through the London Irish academy, he was identified by the Welsh Rugby Union's Exiles programme, a pathway that ultimately led to a place in the Scarlets academy.
