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End of Evans Injuries force Welsh winger to retire
Posted: Wednesday March 31, 1999 03:31 PM
BATH, England (AP) -- Ieuan Evans, Wales' most capped rugby player and most prolific tryscorer, announced Wednesday he is retiring from the sport. The 35-year-old winger, who captained Wales a record 28 times and won 72 caps, has been troubled by injuries for 14 months since helping Bath to a European Cup final win over Brive in Bordeaux. His contract with Bath, a leading club in England's first division competition, was due to expire at the end of the season but his decision to retire immediately was by mutual consent with the club. "It's ironic that having spent a lot of my career fighting adversity, I should end up being finished by injury," he was quoted saying in Wednesday's Daily Mail newspaper. "The injury means I've had to bring [retirement] forward by a couple of months," he said. "I'm 35 now, it's a young man's game more than ever and I've had a good run." Evans' pace and determination inspired his national teammates during a bleak period for Welsh rugby and contributed to his record 33-try haul. He played in the 1987 World Cup, where Wales finished third, captained Wales in the 1991 World Cup and then featured in the 1995 World Cup in South Africa. He also played on three British Lions tours to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in 1989, 1993 and 1997 before retiring from international rugby last year. In 1993 Evans became a national hero by stripping the ball from English winger Rory Underwood to claim an opportunistic try as Wales beat arch-rivals England 10-9 in Cardiff. The following year he led Wales to a Five Nations championship -- Wales' only win in the tournament in the '90s. Evans left Welsh club Llanelli for Bath in 1997 but his most recent injury, a stress fracture of the foot, has kept him off the field for most of the current season.
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