Nick Evans Exclusive Interview - Aviva Premiership Preview

A couple of weeks ago, Dumptackle Rugby Blog had the pleasure of interviewing Nick Evans; star of Harlequin's victorious 2012 Aviva Premiership winning campaign and winner of it's prestigious 'Player's Player of the Year' award.

We chatted about everything from pre-season preparations to his history with Aussie Rules as a youngster and how at times, he had felt like 'God's hacky-sac' during the last Rugby World Cup in his native New Zealand.

I must say that Nick came across as a thoroughly down to earth guy and it was refreshing to be met by a professional sportsman with such a positive attitude, given the harsh criticism that many suffer in the media. That's the end of the love in though...make your own judgment by reading the interview in full below!

The Interview:

DT: The 2012/13 Aviva Premiership season begins on 1st September with your team, Harlequins, kicking it all off against Wasps at Twickenham. As defending champions, what shape would you say the team is in as Quins look to defend the crown?

NE:  After the success of the last couple of years where we won the Amlin cup and then the Premiership, the consistency of the squad has been a huge factor, and going into this year's campaign, again we have a similar squad with little changes. We know the amount of work we have to do is huge, as teams will now be coming for us and we will have to improve on last year.

Quins celebrate domestic glory in 2011/12

 DT: Who then do you think will be the main threats in the Aviva Premiership then and what about the Heineken Cup? Will it be the usual foes or is there a dark horse in your opinion?

NE: It's tough to say this early in the season. It is hard to go past the usual suspects for the Premiership...Leicester, Northampton and Saracens but I am sure the other clubs will have something to say about that. In the Heineken Cup there are some tough groups but I would expect the usual faces to be there...Leinster, Toulouse, Munster etc however it will be great to see how Exeter go in their first taste of Heineken Cup.

DT: Yes Exeter certainly were a joy to watch last year; both for their quality and their flawless attitude on the pitch. As an Exeter man myself I can say that the region was proud of their efforts. Your coach, Conor O'Shea, declared that last season's victorious campaign was 'forged by spirit' too, during the aftermath of the Aviva Premiership final and was very vocal in his praise, both for the players and previous Director of Rugby, Dean Richards. What qualities do you think Conor himself brings to the table though?

NE: Conor has a big influence on us as a group. Probably the most influence comes from our values and how we run as a club, not only on the field but more importantly off the field. A lot of responsibility is given to the players to make decisions on and off the field. Conor is definitely a more positive Director of Rugby but does not take fools lightly and demands excellence and a huge work ethic.

Chisolm and Wallace: Two to watch this year.

 DT: Talking about handling responsibilities on and off the pitch, what do you think about the off-season signings around the Premiership? Gavin Henson's return to rugby with London Welsh (after some highly scrutinised mistakes) has made most of the headlines this summer, but which signings have intrigued you the most in particular? 

  

NE: There have been a few good signings from clubs around the league. Wasps and Irish have picked up a few. Stephen Jones is a good signing for Wasps and someone who we will need to be weary of in the first game. For us we have not had many signings. We picked up anther Kiwi in Ben Botica, son of former All Black Frano Botica, so I am looking forward to seeing how he goes.


DT: There may not have been many new signings at Quins, but such is the nature of sport, new or previously unheralded players will again emerge in 2013. Chris Robshaw and Joe Marler (among others) were two that made huge strides last year. Which relative 'unknown(s)', in your opinion, should the public look out for from Quins this year? 

NE: The great thing about Quins is we have a huge conveyor belt of young talent coming through. That is a credit to the Quins academy. This year is no different and we have young guys such as Luke Wallace and Ross Chisholm that have played first team rugby and are exciting players who will be future leaders of the club.

 DT: I'll certainly keep an eye out for them then! Moving away way from Quins and the Premiership for a moment though, let's have a chat about yourself personally....

Evans believes 'Aussie Rules' improved his kicking.

As a young man, you competed for both the NZ U21 and the Hawks (NZ's senior Aussie Rules side) and were offered a trial with the Sydney Swans before you committed your future to rugby union. Given the recent debate surrounding Sonny Bill Williams and his penchant for boxing, do you think it is best for aspiring rugby players to focus on the nuances of union alone or can the variety of other sports build  a more 'well rounded' player?

NE: I personally gained a lot from playing Aussie Rules, especially in the kicking department. I wouldn’t advise young kids to go take up boxing as I don’t see any cross over to rugby at all. But I do think young kids should try as many sports as they can, especially sports that require hand eye co-ordination. Whether it be football, league, cricket, tennis, squash... We at Quins train with other sports, firstly for fun, and also to learn other training techniques and ideas.

 DT: Let's talk about superstitions... Australian legend David Campese famously used to sit next to the coach-driver during pre-match journeys and would always walk out of the dressing room last. More recently, Goran Ivanisevic, conqueror of Wimbledon in 2001, would actively try and avoid stepping on court lines.... I believe he also had to repeat routines from the days he won, which meant that one year (for 2 weeks) he religiously watched Telletubbies every morning! Do you have any pre-match rituals or superstitions yourself?
 
NE: I don’t have superstitions, but more routines I go through. I like to wear my blue cap to games rain, hail or shine. I have routines I go through in the changing room like getting a rub on my legs then putting my boots on just before I go out to warm up. So I guess some call them superstitions but I call them routines as sometimes it goes wrong and you can lose focus.

DT: Lastly, many would agree with me when I say that... had you been playing in NZ, you probably would have been on the field during the 2011 World Cup. What were your thoughts when you saw Carter, Slade and then Cruden fall foul to injury? Are there any regrets in terms of international rugby?

NE: I did have to stop and laugh and think I was God’s hacky sac for a while there. It was just ridiculous when one 10 went down after the other. But I was preparing for the season ahead so I enjoyed being an All Blacks fan and watching it on TV. I have no regrets about coming over here to play and the last couple of years in winning trophies have made that even more so. The lure of the All Black jersey is always there though and I am sure there is a bit of my heart that misses it but I am proud of what I achieved in the All Blacks.





You can catch more from our interview with Nick in a couple of days, when we post Nick's answers to our 'Quick Fire' assault of questions about his team mates. It's a good laugh so keep tuned!