The Ospreys have handed their history-making full-back Dan Evans a new contract, announcing the deal just days after his remarkable individual performance against the Dragons.
The 30-year-old became the first man to score four tries in a Guinness PRO14 match for the Ospreys.
In one of the most impressive personal displays of this or any other season, Evans also made five breaks and beat 12 defenders, with his 17 runs earning his side 154 metres. It was yet another reminder of how much he can offer, notwithstanding that he’s been Welsh rugby’s most overlooked player for close on a decade.
The new package will see Evans continue a stint at the Ospreys that began when he joined from the Dragons in 2014.
“I’m delighted to sign a new deal and excited about what the future holds, ” said Evans.
“I’m over the moon to be here for the foreseeable future. It’s been a tough old season where you are not just thinking about games you are thinking about your future. It’s been tough for everyone in the squad but now we can move on and hopefully build for an exciting end to the season.
“I love playing rugby, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, and I just want to keep playing well and hopefully see the Ospreys succeed.”
Evans’ destruction of the Dragons’ defence saw him overhaul Tommy Bowe, Nikki Walker and Rhys Webb and move into second place in the Ospreys’ all-time try chart with 40 touchdowns.
Shane Williams is still out on his own, well clear on 57, but if Evans keeps scoring consistently it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility he could reel in the wing legend.
Whatever, he has yet again reminded all and sundry of his status as perhaps the player who offers most value for money in the Welsh game.
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Head coach Allen Clarke said: “Dan's contract extension reflects the consistency of performance he has displayed over the last five seasons for the Ospreys.
“He’s vastly experienced and I believe his attacking game will continue to develop working alongside our attack coach Matt Sheratt.
“The announcement is timely on the back of his individual performance on Saturday with a personal tally of four tries. We see Dan as a valuable player for us over the next couple of seasons.”
Making his debut in a 44-13 win over Benetton on the opening day of the 2014-15 campaign, Evans raced to the quickest century of appearances in Ospreys' history, taking just three years, three months and four days to reach his ton, a full four months more rapidly than the previous fastest.
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Ever present for the Ospreys in the Guinness PRO12 across his first three seasons, it wasn’t until the penultimate fixture of his fourth campaign, in April 2018, that he missed a game in the competition.
In that time he set the championship all-time record for consecutive appearances, his tally of 87 a full 26 ahead of Ian Keatley’s previous competition best of 61 successive PRO12 appearances.
Last season’s Ospreys player of the year, he continues to do the business for his region without a hint of any further reward with Wales, who last capped him in the summer of 2009, when he won two caps as a 20-year-old on their north American tour.
