There are players with little media exposure, in the shadows, whose importance within a group is paramount. In Agen, Evan Olmstead is one of them. Definitely. The Canadian, perhaps the AUS’s best rookie this season, has become a fixture for Bernard Goutta. “He’s a player with a lot of experience, at a very good level and able to adapt to the third or second line,” specifies the Catalan, before continuing: “He’s a player who brings us a lot. It’s a Large body carrier that can take on balloons despite its size, it has an earthy and airy profile and that is its strength.”

The former Biarritz player conquered everyone with his good humor, as Antoine Erbani recognizes. “It’s nice to have him with us. He never gives up and puts in a lot of work. In addition, he has the ability not to lose energy throughout the game. At 31, Olmstead is an old hand. The North Vancouver-born international with 36 caps for Canada is a fulfilled man. “There is a good project here. The weight room or the stadium, it’s a very high level. It’s the same as the Waratahs in Sydney. It’s better than Biarritz. We have everything we need,” smiles the interested party, whose French “isn’t quite perfect”. “We have classes once or twice a week.

Lumberjack, look, talkative… A colorful character

Ice hockey is the king sport in Canada. But Evan Olmstead took up rugby in the wake of his father, ‘a rugby player in Canada’. No big surprise when you know that the tall blond grew up in Australia, in Sydney, a country where the oval ball has a big place. “When I was young I played football, basketball and rugby. But I like the contact, the physical. I was better at rugby than basketball. I made the decision to go to rugby when I was about 16-17 years old. Then with success. However, not everything was easy. In Australia, the giant recalls its difficult beginnings. “At 16 I weighed 80 kg and was taller than me for Polynesians. But my father taught me to work hard when I was young and I had to find solutions.”

And obviously Olmstead found them to break through at the highest level. After several seasons in Australia, the Canadian discovered Europe in 2015, played one season in England with the London Scottish, then two years with the Newcastle Falcons. Then followed a few months in New Zealand, a return to England before arriving in Biarritz in October 2019 and coming to Lot-et-Garonne last summer. “Here is a good group. When I arrived, Vincent Farré immediately greeted me and greeted me. Good if the captain takes the time to get to know you before you arrive. I love it “.

Since then, the player has shone, whether in the “cage” or as a flanker. “I’m very happy, but I still want to win, you have to win every game. I still want to improve,” explains the man concerned. “I like the touch. It’s a game with the other team. I also like the balls that are carried , the fight, the rucksacks… It’s good for the team to conquer a ball in a rucksack”. Well integrated on the ground, Olmstead is also in everyday life and it is not Antoine Erbani who will claim the opposite. “He is very talkative… He’s as active on the pitch as he is off it, and sometimes tires me out.” “It’s my personality,” explains the Canadian, whose cliché of the lumberjack might apply to him. “Cameron Pierce, a former Pau- Player, has a big house near Bordeaux. We cut the wood from time to time. With Matt Beukeboom we are three second-line Canadians chopping wood and we have the plaid shirt! »

If Evan Olmstead does not go unnoticed on the streets of Agen, it is not only because of his stature, but also because of his looks. “I do not confirm. You need to see the applause counter but I’m not sure a lot of people are applauding her look. But he’s trying to stand out and I totally understand that at 31 he’s still looking for himself,” Erbani smiles. If, fortunately, SUA made it big at the end of the season, could Olmstead change his look? The answer is no for the Canadian. “No, I like my look! I have long hair and a beard. Sometimes I abbreviate it, but if you see the photo without a beard, you’ll prefer it with a beard too! One last smile and Olmstead sets off for his weekly French class. Before thinking about the goal of the SUA, “the top 6” at the end of the season. “We talked about it in training before the season. If we are there, it will be good.”