France v Scotland, Six Nations Championship, February 14
Evans brothers ready for French challenge
Scrum.com
February 12, 2009
Glasgow wing Thom Evans, Bath v Glasgow, Heineken Cup, The Rec, Bath, England, December 7 2008
Thom Evans starts on the wing against France © Getty Images
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Thom and Max Evans will make their first Six Nations starts for Scotland against France on Saturday, becoming the 20th pair of siblings to represent the country.

Following in the famous footsteps of the Hastings and more recently the Lamonts, Max will line up at outside centre with Thom on the wing against France. Scotland boss Frank Hadden came under fierce criticism for leaving the Evans boys out of their opening game against Wales, with Max starting on the bench and Thom not making the 22.

With Max scoring Scotland's only try in a lively cameo performance, they now have the chance to press for regular inclusion, something that would have pleased their late grandfather.

"He was a proud Scot and he supported anyone that played against England," said Max, the elder brother at 25. "It'll probably be quite emotional come Saturday knowing that he'd be very proud upstairs for both his grandsons."

The brothers have secured a roundabout route to the international stage. Only five years ago Thom was a member of boyband Twen2y4Se7en and Max was a professional golfer. As Thom was on the road supporting acts such as McFly and Peter Andre, Max would deflect attention away from his brother whilst in the crowd.

"Girls would notice me in the crowd and say, 'He looks a bit like (Thom)'," Max said. "And they would all come flocking to me, saying, 'Are you his brother, are you his brother?' And I'd end up having to run away."

Thom maintains that he always meant to return to rugby following his sojourn into the world of showbiz.

"It was obviously great when you had 50,000 girls screaming your name," he admitted. "It's nothing as to what Saturday's going to be like."

Hadden has maintained that he has no regrets about leaving anyone out of the side, saying that all decisions were made with the best interests of the team in mind.

"I don't tend to have regrets over selections that are based on the best available information at the time," said Hadden. "Once it's over, it's over and you think again about what's going to happen next week. What's important is the guys that come in get the opportunity to prove the selectors wrong."

One fan who will be cheering the Evans brothers on is Scotland legend Gavin Hastings, who represented his country alongside his brother Scott. The Hastings brothers became the first to represent the British and Irish Lions when they toured Australia in 1989.

"I am so pleased that they are both getting this opportunity. It is a very special thing for brothers to represent their country together and they will both be extremely excited about the match," said Hastings. "They are both extremely promising young players and have got youthful exuberance and pace in abundance. They are just what Scotland need."

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