‘It’s rare but really special’: Evans brothers reach 400 caps in same month as Billingham’s double act create club history
Brothers Pete and Joe Evans both reached 400 appearances for National Two North side Billingham in February, highlighting their remarkable shared journey at the club.
There are plenty of smiles when Joe and Pete Evans talk about their rugby journey with Billingham, but there is also an immense amount of pride.
Between the beginning and end of February, the brothers each brought up their 400th appearance for the National Two North club.
Joe and Pete are separated by almost three and a half years, but as they sit side by side in the Greenwood Road clubhouse, you can immediately see how close they are.
For the Evans brothers, Billingham is more than just the team they represent on a Saturday afternoon. It is the club where they grew up, where their rugby education began in the minis and juniors, and where family life has become entwined with the game.
“It took me a little bit longer with injuries and genuinely getting a bit older,” Joe, who turns 39 in a couple of weeks, chuckles as he reflects on the moment he entered the 400 club when Billingham faced Fylde at the start of last month.
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“But it’s really special. It’s a club we’ve grown up playing for throughout minis and juniors. I’ve been captain here for a few years, our kids watch now, my eldest plays, so it’s just great to be a part of.”
Longevity in rugby rarely comes easily, particularly in the physical landscape of National League Rugby.
Joe, who has played 23 times in National Two North, insists there is no secret formula to reaching such a milestone, though perhaps a little family influence helped along the way.
“I don’t think there’s a secret,” Joe, who has operated as both a No.8 and an outside centre this season, says.
“I do think luck comes into it. We’ve both had injuries, but a lot of the time, you just play with it. I’m three knee surgeries in now, but they all came in the off-season so that’s lucky as well.
“But we also had a Dad [Stewart] who would never let us not play!”
If the milestone itself was memorable, the circumstances around it made it even sweeter.
Billingham beat Fylde 27-24 on the day Joe became the first player in Billingham’s history to reach 400 1st XV appearances, which only added to the occasion.
“That made it extra special,” he adds. “Fylde are a good side, and the boys got the win for me which was quite nice!”
And Pete enjoyed watching his older brother take in the moment.
“He gets very emotional in his old age now!” Pete jokes when asked about an emotional post-match interview between the pair following the Fylde match. “We’ve had a few tears over the last few weddings and whatnot with Joe!”
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The humour quickly gives way to admiration: “Joe has been amazing for the team and for the club in terms of how he has gone about his work,” Pete says. “It really is body on the line with Joe. He’s not afraid to get his head in the wrong place.”
Reaching 400 appearances at any level of the game is a significant achievement, but hitting that milestone in the demanding environment of National League Rugby only adds to it.
“I think 400 appearances is amazing at any level of rugby,” Pete continues. “To get to this point playing in National League Rugby is the icing on the cake. You see people get there at this level – like Chris Wearmouth up at Tynedale or Joe Makin down at Hull Ionians – but it’s really rare.
“To have your older brother do it and then a couple of weeks later you do it yourself… that’s very rare. It kind of speaks volumes about the club and how we operate here, that family sort of feel.”
To say Billingham Rugby Club feels like a second home for the Evans family would be an understatement.
Their connection runs deep. Father Stewart both played for and coached the club, while brothers Andy and Michael have also proudly worn the jersey.
For Pete, he is currently the Director of Rugby and Billingham’s fly-half, and he hasn’t missed a National League game since the club’s promotion in 2023 – 73 consecutive appearances.
His 400th cap came in their last outing, a 52-7 loss to unbeaten league leaders Sheffield, but a resurgence post-Christmas has seen the North-East outfit pull away from any relegation jeopardy.
Victories against Hull, Otley and in Joe’s 400th against Fylde have, in Pete’s words, ‘catapulted’ Billingham 17 points clear of the bottom two.
“A couple of weeks before Christmas, we took a couple of pastings,” he says. “You have to learn from those. We’re all still learning, even us older lads!
“We went back to the drawing board and looked at the basics. It didn’t click straight away after Christmas, but then we kicked on with three wins in a row which really catapulted us up the table.”
But neither Pete nor Joe are getting ahead of themselves.
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In each of the past two seasons, Billingham have had to fight for survival on the final day, and despite their current buffer, the duo admit the focus remains on picking up points where they can.
“We are a very young side,” Pete adds. “It sounds cliché, but it’s true. We never give in. You’ve probably seen that with how the last couple of seasons have ended.
“I don’t think we can wait until the final day again! We never make it easy for ourselves. That’s probably part of the entertainment value of watching us.
“But we’d like to finish as high as we can and show some progress from the last three years in National Two. We’ve improved each year so far, so hopefully that can continue.”
Billingham are just seven points shy of last season’s total of 52, and with fixtures against three of the bottom four in their final five games – including an away trip to Rossendale on Saturday – there’s every chance they could better that tally.
Such progress would also highlight the growing depth emerging within the first team.
Alongside Joe and Pete’s experience and leadership, the squad now contains a growing number of young players, many of whom are beginning to make their mark at National League level.
“From a club-wide point of view, we have guys who are wholeheartedly committed to this club like Luke Wilson – who recently brought up his 250 – and Joe and I have to be like that too,” Pete says.
“But we do have some depth now within the squad. Against Sheffield Tigers [last month], there were five teenagers in the pack.
“The result didn’t go our way, but a couple of years ago, we had teenagers stepping up and now the likes of Joe Scarborough [winger] are regular National Two players.
“So if Joe and I start picking up more serious injuries, there are now young lads knocking on the door.
“That means we can probably hang up the boots… but not quite yet. We just want to lead by example and help with the experience so the club is in a really good place when we decide to – or get forced to – stop!”
The Evans brothers have grown up sharing each other’s journeys, and while new chapters are already unfolding at Billingham, the pair still have a few more miles to cover in National League Rugby.
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