BREAKING: Harlequins sign Wales international, four players depart
Rugby NewsWednesday, 01 March 2023 at 12:57
According to WalesOnline, Jarrod Evans, a skilled playmaker, is poised to depart from Cardiff and join the renowned English team Harlequins.
The situation has led to about 90 out-of-contract Welsh players in the country’s Six Nations squad being unable to receive new contracts, resulting in threats of a strike before last weekend’s defeat to England
His move raises concerns about his future with the Welsh national team.
Evans' current contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and Harlequins anticipate that the 26-year-old will formally join their team on Thursday.
He will be Quins third new signing for next season, with Joe Launchbury and Will Porter already signing with the club.
Despite his impressive range of abilities as an outside-half, Cardiff was unable to offer Evans a competitive contract.
As a result, he has decided to cross the border and compete with England's renowned player Marcus Smith for the coveted number 10 jersey at Harlequins.
Evans came through the mini and junior ranks of Pontyclun and Pontypridd before his precocious talents saw him called into the Cardiff academy.
Jarrod Evans of Cardiff Rugby kicks the conversion during the European Champions Cup Group Match Cardiff Rugby and Harlequins at Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff on 14 Jan. Photo: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
The talented playmaker has been capped by Wales at Under-18 level and made his senior debut for Pontypridd when aged just 17 in 2013.
Evans was part of the Wales Under-20 squad that took part in the Junior World Championships in the summer of 2015 in Italy.
The outside half had a breakthrough season in 2017/18, establishing himself as an important player within the squad and putting in outstanding performances in victories over the likes of Lyon, Toulouse and Dragons.
At the end of the campaign, where Evans was a key figure as Cardiff lifted the Challenge Cup in Bilbao, the outside half was named the region’s Discovery of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year.
Evans’ fine form also resulted in his first cap for Wales, as he appeared as a replacement in the autumn series victory over Scotland at the Principality Stadium.
HARLEQUINS CONFIRM FOUR HUGE DEPARTURES
#1. Tommy Allan to Perpignan
After joining the South West London club at the start of the 2021/22 campaign, Allan will return to Perpignan for a second stint at the club.
The club said in a statement: "Harlequins wish Allan the best in the next step in his rugby career and looks forward to finishing the current campaign with the Italian international in the Famous Quarters."
#2. Josh Bassett to Leicester
The 30-year-old will join Tigers from Harlequins, who he joined midway through the current campaign from Wasps.
Bassett played his junior rugby for Ampthill before moving to Bedford Blues ahead of the 2011/12 campaign. The outside-back was selected for England Under-20s in 2012.
In 2013, he joined Wasps and made more than a century of appearances for the club before joining Harlequins in 2022.
Discussing the move to Leicester Tigers, Bassett said: “The club has done such a good job of building strong foundations in recent seasons and I am excited about being a part of the next steps, continuing to develop on that.”
“I want to continue developing, individually, and reach my potential. I see Leicester Tigers as the place to do that.
“Mattioli Woods Welford Road is a special place. You know it is going to be loud, the atmosphere is going to be electric and so the opportunity to be on the right side of that was a hard one to turn down.
“There are some amazing players at the club, who have done so well in recent years and are going to continue pushing on. Knowing I will be a part of that gives me energy and makes me excited.”
#3. Joe Marchant to Stade Francais
The 26-year-old, who has earned 14 caps in the past four years, heads to the Top 14 after nine years at The Stoop.
Marchant came through the Quins academy and has made 140 appearances since his debut in 2014.
He follows England team-mates Luke Cowan-Dickie and Sam Simmonds in opting to pause his international career in order to play overseas.
Commenting on his departure at the end of the season, Marchant said: “I am very proud and grateful to have been part of Harlequins for the last 10 years.
"I’ve made some amazing memories on and off the field and made great friends along the way. This club has been a home to me and will always have a place in my heart.
“The time has come for me to depart the Club and I am excited for my next challenge ahead. I will make the most of every moment for the rest of this season proudly wearing my Quins shirt.
“Thank you for all the support!”
#4. Wilco Louw to Bulls
The outstanding tighthead prop, who was part of the Quins squad that won the Premiership title in 2020/21, has opted to move to Pretoria next year.
The 28-year-old has become widely recognised as a top class front-row after consistently solid performances for the Premiership side since joining in 2020.
“The Vodacom Bulls play an exciting brand of rugby and they have great coaches, I am excited for the new challenge ahead. I am looking forward to running out in the jersey once more and to having the opportunity in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship,” he told the Bulls’ official website.
“It is exciting to be going back to South Africa and to be reunited with the Vodacom Bulls, I had an unbelievable time at Harlequins with great memories and hopefully we can make some great memories in Pretoria too.”
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