Bryn Evans played two tests for the All Blacks in 2009. Photo / Photosport
Bryn Evans played two tests for the All Blacks in 2009. Photo / Photosport
Two New Zealand forwards, including a two-test All Black wonder, have been named in an English Premiership team of the decade.
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, former England midfielder Will Greenwood put together his dream team from 2010-2019 and made room for two Kiwi forwards, most notable Bryn Evans.
Evans earned two caps at lock for the All Blacks in 2009, both as a substitute against France, before a back injury ended his season.
It was only in 2011 that Evans decided to shift his career to the shores of England, signing on to play for London Irish where his consistency was highly rated by Greenwood.
"A slightly left-field selection with the likes of Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes, and Maro Itoje prominent throughout the era, but they all missed patches of the season with international commitments. I simply never saw Evans have a bad game."
The other New Zealander to make the team was former Hurricanes stalwart Thomas Waldrom who, after seven seasons of Super Rugby, successfully chased a dream to play international rugby in England.
Waldrom made an immediate impact on English shores, especially at club level where his attacking prowess at number eight shone bright.
Thomas Waldrom scores a try for the Exeter Chiefs in the English Premiership. Photo / Photosport
"The first name I put on this teamsheet. For years he finished each season with more tries and assists than any forward - and most backs," Greenwood wrote.
"He was durable with quick feet; whichever club he was at, he was a success."
Greenwood says he based his selections on English Premiership form, skill and grit shown over the past ten years. His full lineup is as below.
1. Alex Waller (Northampton) The Saints stalwart went virtually six years without missing a game, always fighting to the best of his ability in an uncompromising position. Even now, at the end of the decade, he's still playing at the top level, still grafting, still at the coal face.
2. Schalk Brits (Saracens) There were so many contenders. I love Tommy Taylor, Jack Yeandle and Jamie George, but Brits was in his pomp at the start of the decade and he's only just hung up his boots. He was at the heart of Saracens' supremacy and rewrote the manual on hooking.
3. Tomas Francis (Exeter) This was immensely difficult. Dan Cole started and finished the decade, but he was away with England too often. Exeter's rise through the ranks needed a rock at tighthead, and more often than not Francis was there as the anchor.
4. Geoff Parling (Leicester & Exeter) Back when Leicester were good, Parling was excellent. A magnificent lineout operator, he was great around the park and was at the heart of a fearsome Tigers pack, winning the Premiership with them in 2010 and 2013.
5. Bryn Evans (London Irish & Sale) A slightly left-field selection with the likes of Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes, and Maro Itoje prominent throughout the era, but they all missed patches of the season with international commitments. I simply never saw Evans have a bad game.
6. Mark Wilson (Newcastle & Sale) He was in my Premiership team of the year almost every year until Eddie Jones finally gave him the international recognition that he deserved at the end of the decade. Tucked away in the north-east of England, Wilson stood out in a team which struggled against the top sides.
7. Chris Robhaw (Harlequins) Another who started and finished the decade and someone who might have saved his best for last; he had one of his finest games in Harlequins' draw with Leicester at Twickenham. After narrowly missing out on a spot on the British & Irish Lions tour at the end of the previous decade, he led Harlequins to their first and only Premiership triumph in 2012.
8. Thomas Waldrom (Leicester & Exeter) The first name I put on this teamsheet. For years he finished each season with more tries and assists than any forward - and most backs. He was durable with quick feet; whichever club he was at, he was a success.
9. Joe Simpson (Wasps & Gloucester) This was tricky, but Danny Care and Ben Youngs were often with England, although it was hard to overlook Faf de Klerk's late charge. Whenever it came to picking a try of the season, however, several of Simpson's scores were always contenders. Lightning.
10. Gareth Steenson (Exeter) Nick Evans was brilliant for Harlequins at the start of the decade, while Danny Cipriani continues to light up English rugby pitches at the end of it. Steenson, however, was the captain of Exeter's ship for years and years. He was at the heart of the Chiefs' success, and still plays a role off the bench now, at the age of 35.
11. Vereniki Goneva (Leicester, Newcastle & Harlequins) Wherever he goes he scores a hatful of tries. A mountain of a winger who had an outside break as well as an ability to attack the inside shoulder - the thought of playing against him terrifies me. Goneva has class and power; a proven match-winner.
12. Brad Barritt (Saracens) I lied earlier about Waldrom being the first name on the teamsheet. This man is. What a f------ monster. If you could get a knighthood for services to Premiership rugby, he would be at the front of the line. Barritt is made of granite; extraordinarily durable.
13. Manu Tuilagi (Leicester) I was stuck with this momentarily. I was tempted by Elliot Daly, who played his best rugby for Wasps at 13, and I love Sam James of Sale. Henry Slade and George Pisi were great, too, but as I had a look back at 2010, 2011, and 2012, I realised that Manu was there, in the form of his life. His decade was dogged by injury, and he's almost back to his best, but he's in for his form at the start of the decade.
14. Chris Ashton (Northampton, Saracens & Sale) One of the best poachers I've ever seen in either code. Ashton has a sixth sense for where the ball is going to end up, and making sure he's there to receive it. He has always been brilliant going forwards and very clever going backwards.
15. Mike Brown (Harlequins) Immensely tough to overlook Alex Goode, and I'm sure this will be the selection that divides opinion the most. It was so tight between them, but what tipped the scales in favour of Brown was his ability to perform at the highest level in a side that sometimes struggled. Goode, more often than not, had an armchair ride.
