Next season, the 27-year-old will be boosting the ranks of Neath with five years’ worth of World Rugby Sevens Series experience – that’s over 130 games plus 25 tries for his country.
It seems like only yesterday that Evans, then an openside with Ospreys, was invited by head coach Gareth Williams to attend a sevens training camp. “I was really keen to get involved because Luke Morgan, a good mate of mine from home, talked highly of the sevens set-up and Gareth. I couldn’t wait to get stuck in.”
Soon enough, he was making his debut in Dubai. He hasn’t really considered it all until now, when his thoughts go back even further, to those days when he was starting out in the game – first at Bryntirion School, then Bridgend College and Bridgend Athletic.
Not many teams would have fancied coming up against Evans’s age group at Bridgend Athletic. It was a generation of the town’s finest players: Rhys Webb, Scott Baldwin, Lloyd Ashley, Tom Habberfield, Matthew Morgan, Luke Morgan and Josh Navidi. “I grew up playing with all those boys. We had a hell of a team,” he says, with just a hint of understatement.
He progressed into senior rugby at the Brewery Field, which brought him to the attention of Ospreys. Finding himself waiting in line behind established names such as Justin Tipuric and Dan Lydiate for a back row berth might have made that phone call from Gareth Williams all the more welcome.
Fortunately, he has countless good memories of playing sevens, giving it his all alongside his teammates. Cape Town last year, for example: “We were playing in the quarter-final against South Africa on day two. It was a sell-out. Running out through the tunnel, and then being on the pitch and literally not being able to hear the boys with all the noise from the rugby-mad crowd swirling round the stadium. It was phenomenal.”
There will be a period of personal adjustment next season, which is natural when you consider the amount of time sevens players spend away from home. “I’ll definitely miss the boys. We’ve got a close group with the Teulu, but we’ll keep in touch.
“It will be nice to spend more time with my mates, my girlfriend and family back home in Bridgend, and focus on playing well with Neath week in, week out.” With captain Adam Thomas also set for life in the Principality Premiership, we could be in for an intriguing encounter. “I’ll hopefully get to play against him, and we’ll have a beer and a catch-up after the game.”
Evans should prove himself a considerable asset as an openside at the Gnoll. “I enjoy operating as a link player, and playing in the wide channel,” he says. Should he succeed in making a strong impression, there might even be a return to regional rugby on the cards.
But for now, he is looking to add another experience to his sevens journey before it’s over. “I was injured when we played in Exeter last year, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Sandy Park has a good surface and they’ll get a big crowd with the weather being as it is.
“Training in the heat has been tough, but it’s put the boys in good stead for the weekend and the World Cup later this month.”
Wales Sevens: Lloyd Evans, Ben Roach, Jared Rosser, Afon Bagshaw, Cai Devine, Owen Jenkins, Luke Treharne, Lloyd Williams, Tom Williams, Cory Allen, Jay Jones, Will Talbot-Davies.
Exeter pool fixtures, Saturday 7th July: Wales v Portugal (12:36), Wales v Germany (14:59), Wales v Spain (18:06). Exclusively live on Sky Sports Action.
