Abi Evans (born 30 May 1996) is a Scottish rugby union player from

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

who played in the

2021 Women's Six Nations Championship The 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship was the 20th series of the Women's Six Nations Championship, an annual women's rugby union competition between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The 2021 tournament was given a change o ...

. She has played international rugby for Scotland since 2015.

Club career

Abi Evans moved from Allianz Premier XVs club Darlington Mowden Park Sharks to

Saracens Women Saracens Women (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsærəsənz/) are a women's rugby union club based in Hendon, London, England. They were founded in 1989 and currently play in the Premier 15s, the top level competition of Women's rugby union, women's rugby ...

in July 2022 ahead of the 2022–23 season. Saracens Women's Head Coach Alex Austerberry commented about her signing that, “''We are delighted to welcome Abi to the club. With pace and the ability to beat defenders we are extremely excited about how Abi will develop at the club. Her long term commitment to the club will allow us all to see her very best rugby here at Saracens''.” She had joined DMP Sharks in 2019, moving from Hillhead Jordanhill. When she joined the DMP Sharks, she stated, ''"The main motivation for signing with the Sharks was to further progress my rugby career by playing at a higher standard week in week out. It’s the perfect time for me to move on and be pushed outside my comfort zone. I’m hoping to develop myself as a player on and off the field, and hopefully offer as much to the club as I can.''” While at Northumbria University, she also played for the university's team. She played in the final of the Sarah Beaney Cup for Hillhead Jordanhill in 2018 and 2019.

International career

Evans played in the Scotland U20 team, before making her Scotland international debut in the 2015 6 Nations opener against France. Evans earned further national caps in the 2017 Women's Six Nations Championship, coming on as a replacement in the match against England. In 2019, Evans was one of the Scottish players selected for Scotland's rugby tour of South Africa. Evans scored a try in the last minutes of the match, contributing to the defeat of South Africa. Also in 2019, she was selected to play for Scotland in the

World Rugby Women's Sevens Series The World Rugby Women's Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby sevens tournaments for women's national teams run by World Rugby. The inaugural series was held in 2012–13 as the successor to the IRB Women's Sevens Challenge Cup held ...

in Biarritz. She described the 2019 World Series 7s Qualifiers in Hong Kong as a career highlight. She then played in the

2020 Women's Six Nations Championship The 2020 Women's Six Nations Championship was the 19th series of the Women's Six Nations Championship, an annual women's rugby union competition between six European rugby union national teams. Matches were originally scheduled for February and ...

, which was disrupted due to COVID-19, playing in the postponed match against France in October following an injury, which saw her miss games earlier in the championship. This was despite being unable to join the team in training for the match due to COVID travel restrictions. She was among the Scottish team selected for the

. She was named by Head Coach Bryan Easson in the 35-player Scotland squad for the

2022 Women's Six Nations Championship The 2022 Women's Six Nations Championship, known as the TikTok Women's Six Nations for marketing purposes, was the 21st series of the Women's Six Nations Championship, an annual women's rugby union competition between England, France, Ireland, Ita ...

. At a junior national level, Evans played sevens at under-19 level for Scotland in the 2013

UK School Games The School Games (formerly known as UK School Games) is an annual sporting competition for elite school-age athletes in the United Kingdom that began in 2006. The event was based on an Olympic Games model, with multiple sports events held across a ...

and captained the side at the same tournament the following year.

Personal life

Evans took up rugby while at

Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...

High School, aged 12. She continued her education at Strathallan School and played the sport at under-15, under-18 and under-20 levels. Evans also swam for Scotland at national level for six years and represented Midland district in the 2012 British Inter-Counties. She moved to Newcastle in 2019 to study Sport Management at Northumbria University. She cites her rugby hero as Welsh player

Shane Williams Shane Mark Williams, (born 26 February 1977) is a Welsh rugby union player most famous for his long and successful tenure as a wing for the Ospreys and the Wales national team. He also played scrum-half on occasion. Williams is the record t ...

Honours

* Brewin Dolphin under-18 Shield winner with Hillhead Jordanhill
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References

External links

Abi Evans Scottish Rugby profile page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Abi 1996 births Living people People educated at Oban High School People educated at Strathallan School Rugby union players from Livingston, West Lothian Scottish female rugby union players Rugby union wings Darlington Mowden Park Sharks players Alumni of Northumbria University Saracens Women rugby players Scotland international women's rugby sevens players