Name Steve Evans | Role Rugby league | |
Steve Evans (1957/58 – 16 September 2017) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, and 1980s, playing at representative level for Great Britain, England, and Yorkshire, and at club level for Featherstone Rovers, Hull, Bradford Northern and Wakefield Trinity (Heritage No 973), as a wing, Centre, or stand-off.
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Club career
Evans joined Featherstone Rovers in 1976 and was a member of the squad that won the 1976–77 Championship. The following season he played right wing in Featherstone Rovers' 7–17 defeat by Castleford in the 1977 Yorkshire Cup Final during the 1977–78 season at Headingley, Leeds on Saturday 15 October 1977.
Steve Evans won caps for Yorkshire while at Featherstone Rovers; during the 1979–80 season against Cumbria, and Lancashire, and during the 1981–82 season as an interchange/substitute against Cumbria.
In 1982 he was transferred to Hull F.C. for a fee of £70,000. At Hull he appeared in three Challenge Cup finals, the first in 1982 when he played left-centre in Hull's 14–14 draw with Widnes in the 1982 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 1 May 1982, in front of a crowd of 92,147, and played left-centre in the 18–9 victory over Widnes in the replay at Elland Road, Leeds on Wednesday 19 May 1982, in front of a crowd of 41,171.
The following year he played at right-centre in Hull's 12–14 defeat to his old side Featherstone.
The third was when he played right-centre and scored a try in Hull's 24–28 defeat by Wigan in the 1985 Challenge Cup Final during the at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 4 May 1985, in front of a crowd of 99,801, in what is regarded as the most marvellous cup final in living memory, which Hull narrowly lost after fighting back from 12–28 down at half-time.
He also appeared at right wing, and scored a try in Hull's 18–7 victory over Bradford Northern in the 1982 Yorkshire Cup Final at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday 2 October 1982, and played left-centre and scored a try in the 18-7 victory over Bradford Northern in the 1984 Yorkshire Cup Final at Boothferry Park, Kingston upon Hull on Saturday 27 October 1984.
Evans played right wing in Hull's 0–12 defeat by Hull Kingston Rovers in the 1984–85 John Player Special Trophy Final at Boothferry Park on Saturday 26 January 1985.
Evans left Hull in 1986 and had short careers at Bradford Northern and Wakefield Trinity before retiring as a player.
Between 2004 and 2006 he was chairman of Featherstone Rovers.
International career
Evans won caps for England while at Featherstone Rovers in 1979 against France, in 1980 against Wales, and France, and won caps for Great Britain while at Featherstone in 1979 against Australia, Australia (sub) (2 matches), and New Zealand (3 matches), in 1980 against New Zealand, and New Zealand (sub).
While playing at Hull F.C., Evans was selected to play in two of Great Britain's three games against Australia for the 1982 Ashes, scoring the Lions' sole try of the series.