NEIL DRYSDALE IN TODAYS HERALD


Brothers in arms just the men to steer Scots out of dire straits?
NEIL DRYSDALE February 12 2009
These days, conventional wisdom insists that sporting stars should employ media trainers and stick to spouting mealy-mouthed opinions, but nobody has passed that message on to Thom and Max Evans.

The duo will become the 45th set of brothers to play for Scotland when they join forces at the Stade de France in a crucial Six Nations Championship occasion on Saturday. Simon Danielli, will be third member of a backline designed with mobility in mind.

But it is the inclusion of the Evans brothers which has captured the imagination. It has been a journey less ordinary for the pair, whose back stories already encompass the sort of anecdotage which will surely thrill future biographers, and, even if some Scotland supporters might be wondering why Frank Hadden hasn't picked the Evans boys together until now, there were no recriminations when the lads responded with typical aplomb to a scrum of dictaphones and flashbulbs at a sun-drenched Murrayfield.

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Displaying some of the verve and brio which combined to put Toulouse to the sword in the Heineken Cup last month, the two Glasgow Warriors finished off each other's answers to a variety of questions, adroitly batting back enquiries as if they were table-tennis balls, and reinforced the impression that they are naturals to become the Playboys of the Great Western Road.

Five years ago, Thom was performing with boyband, Twen2y4Se7en and touring with the likes of McFly, Peter Andre and Westlife but, even back then, he knew that his long-term future lay with rugby.

"Obviously, 2004 was a great year with the band, and it allowed me to get some time away from rugby to recharge the batteries.

But ever since I joined Glasgow, the mood among the squad has been that we need to push ourselves to the limit to earn respect," said Thom 23, whose stint on the boyband circuit followed a time when he once represented England under-21s.

"When Max signed with the Warriors, I always had the thought in the back of my mind that if we both performed to our potential that the day might come when we would be chosen for Scotland."

Like Thom, Max's career could have taken a different direction. A registered golf professional, he counts the likes of Lee Westwood and Andrew Coltart among his friends and caddied for Uncle Chris (yes, the Radio 2 DJ), during the All Star Cup at Celtic Manor in 2006, when the European team was captained by Colin Montgomerie.

Yesterday, Evans Sr acknowledged the important role Thom has played in helping to shape his own career.

"We used to fight a lot when we were kids, but, nowadays we aren't just brothers, we are best mates and that is very important," he said. "When I first travelled up to Scotland, my first aim was to gain a regular place with Glasgow, so this is a massive dream come true for us, but this has to be just the start of the journey.

"I was in the crowd at Murrayfield with my mother in December 2007 when Glasgow met Edinburgh in the 1872 Cup and Thom suffered a bad injury and was lying prostrate on the pitch he had been accidentally kneed in the face.

"Well, it was a scary time, because we were both a long way from the action, and you feel very protective at these moments and we were both very worried.

But thankfully, it was okay, he is a tough nut and we share the mentality that life isn't meant to be too easy."

These qualities of resilience and commitment will be required this weekend when the toothsome twosome tackle the French on their own patch - it is 10 years since Scotland last prevailed in Paris - yet there isn't a trace of fear or apprehension in either man.

On the contrary, having already scythed through the Toulouse defence this season, with a panache and penetration which drew admiring glances from aficionados of Les Bleus, the Evans boys recognise they must stick to their attacking philosophy.

"We have to start on Saturday as we did in that game - get in their faces early, and grab the initiative away from them, and get stuck in from the first whistle," said Max. "Because the thing is that France are a real threat if you allow them space in which to work, so you have to lay down a marker at the outset," interjected Thom.

"We know that when we look at the French before the kick-off, we will be staring at the Toulouse back line and we've already beaten them, so it's up to us to make them remember it.

"And although our parents won't be in Paris they are currently on their annual holiday in Barbados, we have to aim to be expansive and get out of the blocks immediately. We realise it won't be easy, but we can't wait for the game to start."

Agatha Christie once wrote a mystery novel called "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" One could have directed this question towards Frank Hadden in the build-up to the Welsh debacle, but let us merely celebrate the fact that the brothers have been granted their chance.

Something special will be required for the visitors to triumph on Saturday, but these two might be the men to wave a magic wand.

This article was posted on 12-Feb-2009, 08:27 by Hugh Barrow.