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April 12, 2009

Posted on 04/12/2009

Perfect 10

Stuart Barnes meets Harlequins fly-half Nick Evans to talk drop-goals, the Heineken Cup and the All Blacks in The Sunday Times.

"The Harlequins supporters owe Daniel Carter a sincere vote of thanks. The talents of the world’s best fly-half, more than the temptations of hard money, were the prime factor in convincing Nick Evans to change All Black for multicoloured. Had Evans stuck with black, Harlequins would almost certainly not have been at home this afternoon, in with a fantastic chance of making the Heineken Cup semi-finals. Evans produced the greatest four minutes of controlled rugby I have been privileged to see against Stade Français; four pulsating minutes in the wind and rain that opened the way to qualification and home advantage.
"Had he been the All Blacks’ regular fly-half there would be no Harlequins versus Leinster. “Why did I quit the All Blacks? I was probably not playing as much as I wanted to play for New Zealand through no fault of mine or anyone else’s. I just had a guy who was the best in the world in front of me. I asked myself if I would play more All Black rugby and the answer was, probably not. Did I want to stay in New Zealand and play Super 14 for five or six years or challenge myself by coming here, especially to a team where I was the only New Zealander?”

"The answer was a glorious affirmative. His and the club’s ambitions “just about lay on top of each other” when he discussed the prospect with Dean Richards. Ironically, had he stayed in New Zealand he would have had a clear run at the No 10 shirt for the rest of this calendar year with Carter injured. “Yes, Murphy’s Law, isn’t it? But the first thing I will say is I have no regrets at all. I did not make the decision lightly and knew it would pretty much end my involvement with the All Blacks for a while, which was tough, very tough.”

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