John Raymond Evans (12 September 1911 – 8 March 1943) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

international

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

hooker who played club rugby for Newport. Evans joined Newport after showing promise as a Welsh Schools players, winning three caps while at Newport High School. Evans captained Newport on two occasions, once in 1935/36 season and again in 1936/37. In 1935 Evans captained Newport against the touring

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

team. Evans made his one and only international appearance against England in the

1934 Home Nations Championship The 1934 Home Nations Championship was the thirtieth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the forty-seventh series of the nort ...

, and was given the captaincy. He was one of 13 new caps to play for Wales, with only

Claude Davey Claude Davey (14 December 1908 – 18 February 2001) was a Wales international rugby union player who played club rugby for several teams, most notably Sale and Swansea. He was awarded 23 caps for Wales and captained his country eight times. Dave ...

and Dai Thomas with any past international experience. Wales came a poor second, losing 9-0. The selectors were severely criticized for their choice, not only because of the teams inexperience, but also because seven of the team played their rugby outside Wales. Evans was one of five players from the Welsh team that day that became one cap wonders. Evans was killed in action while serving his country in North Africa during the Second World War. Whilst serving in

3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment The 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (3 PARA), is a battalion sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and is a subordinate unit within 16 Air Assault Brigade. Roled as an Airborne light infantry unit, the battalion is capable ...

, Evans parachuted into

French Tunisia The French protectorate of Tunisia (french: Protectorat français de Tunisie; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في تونس '), commonly referred to as simply French Tunisia, was established in 1881, during the French colonial Empire era, ...

in November 1942 and was fatally shot by a sniper while defending

Sedjenane Sedjenane is a town in northern Tunisia, on the railway line to Mateur and the port of Bizerta. The Battle of Sedjenane was fought during World War II between the Allies and Axis for control of a town in northern Tunisia, on the railway line to M ...

crossroads in March 1943.

International matches played

''Wales''Smith (1980), pg 465. * 1934

Bibliography

References

80 seasons at Amersham and Chiltern RFC {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, John 1911 births 1943 deaths Welsh rugby union players Wales international rugby union players Rugby union hookers Wales rugby union captains Rugby union players from Newport, Wales British Army personnel killed in World War II Newport RFC players Barbarian F.C. players British Parachute Regiment officers Deaths by firearm in Tunisia Welsh military personnel People educated at Newport High School