Nick Evans is a fly-half who excels on the front foot and is currently regarded as one of the best playmakers in the game. The New Zealander, who also played Aussie Rules football as a youngster, began his playing career with Otago and went on to star for the Highlanders in the Super 14. He made his name as an searing fullback, but as his career progressed Evans was increasingly promoted to the first-receiver role.

Evans made his All Black debut against England in 2004 at the age of 23. The following year he moved to Auckland, playing for the Blues in the Super 14 competition, and was included in the All Blacks' World Cup squad in 2007. But the emergence of Dan Carter meant chances to establish himself as the first-choice fly-half at international level were limited and, after being left out of the 2008 Tri-Nations squad, he announced that he would be leaving New Zealand.

Evans signed for Harlequins in summer of 2008 and his reputation as a top-class playmaker and one of the foremost first-receivers in European rugby has continued to grow. In September 2010 he signed a two-year extension to his contract with Harlequins, tying him to the club until 2013.

The fly-half led Harlequins to victory in the 2011 Amlin Challenge Cup with a last-gasp conversion following a Man of the Match performance against Stade Francais. And Evans started the 2011-12 season in a similar vein as he pulled the strings from fly-half and played a hugely important role in helping Harlequins to ten wings from their opening ten matches of the new season.