Dan Evans will become a man apart when he runs out to face the Scarlets in Saturday’s Guinness PRO12 derby clash at Parc y Scarlets, setting a new Ospreys record for appearances in a season.
It will be his 30th game of the 2016/17 campaign, surpassing the previous record of 29, which he shares with Andrew Bishop (twice), Jerry Collins, Richard Fussell, Josh Matavesi, Andy Newman, Tom Smith, Nikki Walker and Andy Williams.
The epitome of consistency, Evans boasts an incredible record of having never missed a PRO12 game in his three seasons as an Osprey, his current tally of 66 consecutive matches in the competition a new championship record. It surpasses Ian Keatley’s previous best of 61 between 2008 and 2011, with Connacht and Munster.
Further underlining his durability, Evans has also played in 18 of the Ospreys’ 19 games in Europe over the three seasons, missing only the Round 6 game away to Treviso in January 2015 when he was rested after the team’s exit from the pool stage had been confirmed.
In total, Evans has played 85 times in all competitions across three seasons (81 starts), with his tally of 23 tries putting him one score and one position outside of the region’s all-time top 10, just behind Gavin Henson on 24.
Ospreys Head Coach, Steve Tandy, paid tribute to Evans, saying:
“To go three entire seasons without missing a game in the PRO12 speaks volumes about Dan, as a player and a person. Nobody can question what he brings to the team, on and off the field. An incredible professional, his talents speak for themselves and we have no doubt whatsoever about his all-round quality.
“It’s an achievement in itself to play so many consecutive championship matches, something nobody in any of the four competing countries have ever done. Then, when you look at the list of Ospreys who have played 29 times in a season and consider nobody before Dan has ever managed 30, that puts this season’s achievement into context. Dan should be rightly proud and, like us, will be hoping that he can increase that record further over the coming weeks.”
