It’s fair to say Kyle Evans has found it hard to crack the rugby union big-time in the decade or so since he made his professional debut.
But it’s an understatement to say he’s taken his chance to shine in the 13-a-side code.
Over the past week, he’s been the talk of the Rugby League World Cup after marking his Wales debut with a superb display against Tonga which prompted headlines from Wakefield to Wagga Wagga.
Australia’s 9 Wide World of Sports website commented that Evans had “outpointed superstar opponents Siosofa Talakai and Daniel Tupou with a series of earth-shaking tackles” in the Tonga v Wales clash. .
“The tattooed former amateur rugby union player, on Test debut, saved his best for Blues Origin utility Talakai — the 104kg NRL wrecking ball,” writer Brett Graham commented.
First, Evans halted Talakai with a powerful tackle that dislodged the ball, then, rather than sit back and bask in the glory of a defensive job well done, he stayed in support, accepted a pass and slice through the defence for a lovely score.
"Twelve months ago he had never played rugby league, now he is scoring a World Cup try for the Welsh rugby league side," Dave Woods said in commentary.
The match was only the fourth game of professional rugby league in Evans’ life.
Total Rugby League said the 32-year-old, who has spent significant chunks of his career playing in the English Championship despite spells with Scarlets and Cardiff, had lit up the Rugby League World Cup. You can read more here about the wonder try he scored for his club after his shock move to Super League.
And their reporter Callum Walker speculated that other Super League outfits could come in for Evans in the event of his club Wakefield Trinity deciding to let the wing from Pyle go amid a ‘plethora’ of outside backs at Belle Vue.
“What a bargain they would be getting,” he concluded.
After scoring 25 tries in English rugby and playing for Llanelli and Merthyr, Evans is hardly a secret.
But he’ll consider the game against Tonga as a career highlight.
Now it’s being said he’s put himself in the shop window.
Good things, as they say, come to those who wait.
