By Graham Thomas
Rob Evans tells anyone willing to listen he was twice as good as Samson Lee when the current Wales prop forwards were opponents in primary school.
More likely is that there was little between them except for Evans’ talent for talking, compared, that is, to the rather quieter side of the Wales front row due to pack down against England on Saturday.
When Lee, whose roots are in the travellers community in Llanelli, was asked by reporters just before the World Cup whether he had made any sacrifices to reach the top level of international sport, his succinct reply was, “ferreting.”
That was it. Just the one word, as if all additional explanation of his unusual pastime and its conflicts with his rugby career were clearly unnecessary.
Evans generally has more to say than his Scarlets teammate, especially on the matter of their first match against each other before they had even become teenagers.
“I first played against Samson at under-12s. He was playing for Llanelli schoolboys and I was playing for Pembrokeshire.
“Everyone was going on about this strong gypsy kid. Then, I saw this big man, with arms out here,” he indicates with a full wingspan.
“And he was ginger. But I think I had the upper hand on him that day. He wasn’t much smaller than he is now – about the same height, but he has grown a bit wider. He didn’t say much, then, either. But you knew you couldn’t mess with him.
“So, we go back quite a long way. He came through at under-16s and was then in a younger age group than me. But we came together again at under-18s and we’ve gone right through, really. I know him pretty well.”
Both are just 23 – puppy age for props – and were part of the Wales U20s team that finished third at the 2012 Junior World Cup.
Lee then surged ahead of his old mate and the squat power of the compact red-head enabled him to establish himself as the successor to deposed Lions star Adam Jones.
Evans has had to wait rather longer from another of the old guard, Gethin Jenkins, to be passed by, although that particular battle is far from settled.
Evans, though was picked at loose-head in front of both Jenkins and Paul James for the opening match of this Six Nations tournament against Ireland. His power in the set-pieces – which has been an eye-opener to some of his previous critics – and energy levels around the field have allowed him to stay there.
He will earn his seventh Wales cap at Twickenham, while Lee will reach No. 21.
“Training with Samson and growing up with him, I always knew that he was a massive talent and very strong.
“So, I’m really happy that he’s done so well and taken his chance. He deserves all the credit he has been given.
“To be fair to him, he’s done really well and stepped up when it’s been asked. I was a year behind him because I had an injury. My opportunity is coming now.
“It was tough being in the squad in the past and not playing. All you want to do is have a chance, to get out on the field. It is great to get that chance and I am enjoying it.
“When I did not make the World Cup squad, I refocused and wanted to get into the Six Nations squad. You hope to be involved. I kept my head down and worked hard.
“I would not say I have overtaken them (Jenkins and James). It is more that I have been given a chance.
“It is awesome to be starting, but it is good to have them in the squad as well. They bring so much experience and knowledge, and to be fair, they both have been class in helping me in certain parts of the game.”
Having missed out on selection for the World Cup, Evans watched Wales’ 28-25 win over England last September from the comfort of an armchair.
“I watched it in my house with my old man, my mate and my brother. When Lloyd (Williams) made the break down the left wing, kicked it inside and Gareth (Davies) scored, we were all going nuts. It was good.”
Evans has a common thread with flanker Dan Lydiate as they both have a farming background, but tractor talk is kept to a minimum.
“We have a chat now and again,” Evans added. “But there is only so much you can talk about with tractors.
“We spent a few days, but you have a few weeks in camp! You can’t talk about the same things on a tractor all the time. We just smile now and walk past each other.”