Abi Evans

Abi Evans (born 30 May 1996) is a Scottish rugby union player from Livingston who played in the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship. She has played international rugby for Scotland since 2015.[1]

Abi Evans
Date of birth (1996-05-30) 30 May 1996
Place of birthLivingston, Scotland
Height1.69 m (5 ft 6+1⁄2 in)
Weight76 kg (168 lb; 12 st 0 lb)
SchoolOban High School
Strathallan School
UniversityNorthumbria University
Occupation(s)Rugby player
Rugby union career
Position(s) Winger
Current team Saracens Women
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
Hillhead Jordanhill ()
2019-2022 Darlington Mowden Park ()
2022- present Saracens Women ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2015–present Scotland 15 (0)

Club career

Abi Evans moved from Allianz Premier XVs club Darlington Mowden Park Sharks to Saracens Women in July 2022 ahead of the 2022–23 season.[2] Saracens Women's Head Coach Alex Austerberry commented about her signing that, “We are delighted to welcome Abi to the club. With pace and the ability to beat defenders we are extremely excited about how Abi will develop at the club. Her long term commitment to the club will allow us all to see her very best rugby here at Saracens.” [3]

She had joined DMP Sharks in 2019, moving from Hillhead Jordanhill.[4] When she joined the DMP Sharks, she stated, "The main motivation for signing with the Sharks was to further progress my rugby career by playing at a higher standard week in week out. It’s the perfect time for me to move on and be pushed outside my comfort zone. I’m hoping to develop myself as a player on and off the field, and hopefully offer as much to the club as I can.”[5]

While at Northumbria University, she also played for the university's team.[6]

She played in the final of the Sarah Beaney Cup for Hillhead Jordanhill in 2018 and 2019.[7]

International career

Evans played in the Scotland U20 team, before making her Scotland international debut in the 2015 6 Nations opener against France.[8] Evans earned further national caps in the 2017 Women's Six Nations Championship, coming on as a replacement in the match against England.[9]

In 2019, Evans was one of the Scottish players selected for Scotland's rugby tour of South Africa.[10] Evans scored a try in the last minutes of the match, contributing to the defeat of South Africa.[11] Also in 2019, she was selected to play for Scotland in the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series in Biarritz.[12] She described the 2019 World Series 7s Qualifiers in Hong Kong as a career highlight.[13]

She then played in the 2020 Women's Six Nations Championship, which was disrupted due to COVID-19, playing in the postponed match against France in October following an injury, which saw her miss games earlier in the championship.[14][15] This was despite being unable to join the team in training for the match due to COVID travel restrictions.[16]

She was among the Scottish team selected for the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship.[17]

She was named by Head Coach Bryan Easson in the 35-player Scotland squad for the 2022 Women's Six Nations Championship.[18]

At a junior national level, Evans played sevens at under-19 level for Scotland in the 2013 UK School Games and captained the side at the same tournament the following year.[19][20]

Personal life

Evans took up rugby while at Oban High School, aged 12.[21] She continued her education at Strathallan School and played the sport at under-15, under-18 and under-20 levels.[22]

Evans also swam for Scotland at national level for six years and represented Midland district in the 2012 British Inter-Counties.[23]

She moved to Newcastle in 2019 to study Sport Management at Northumbria University.[24]

She cites her rugby hero as Welsh player Shane Williams.[25]

Honours

References
  1. "Abi Evans". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  2. "Scotland international Abi Evans signs for Saracens". www.saracens.com. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
  3. "Scotland international Abi Evans signs for Saracens". Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  4. "StackPath". www.mowdenpark.com. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  5. "StackPath". www.mowdenpark.com. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  6. "Six Nation's face-off for Northumbria sports students". Mynewsdesk. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  7. Heatly, Gary (2019-04-26). "Silver Saturday Women's Finals: all the runners and riders". The Offside Line. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  8. "Belgium dominate Scotland U20s". Scrum Queens. 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  9. "England Women name squad for Scotland clash in Six Nations". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  10. "Doyle announces squad for South Africa". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  11. Heatly, Gary (2019-09-30). "Scotland trounce South Africa to give new coach ideal start". The Offside Line. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  12. "Sevens call up for Evans and Nelson". The Oban Times. 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  13. "StackPath". www.mowdenpark.com. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  14. "Scotland name two uncapped players in squad for Women's Six Nations match with France". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  15. "Scotland Six Nations squad revealed for France clash". www.newschainonline.com. 2020-10-20. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  16. Barnes, David (2020-09-18). "Scotland Women's training squad for Six Nations conclusion announced". The Offside Line. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  17. "Scotland select four uncapped players for Women's Six Nations". Six Nations Rugby. 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  18. "Scotland name squad for 2022 TikTok Women's Six Nations". TikTok Women’s Six Nations. 2022-03-15. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  19. "Abi Evans". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  20. Bannerman, Gordon (2013-10-10). "Success for Strath". Daily Record. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  21. "Six Nation's face-off for Northumbria sports students". Mynewsdesk. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  22. "Abi Evans". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  23. "Abi Evans". Scottish Rugby Union. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  24. "StackPath". www.mowdenpark.com. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  25. "StackPath". www.mowdenpark.com. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
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