A PEMBROKESHIRE rugby international has returned to his hometown club.

Rob Evans, 31, has returned to his local club of Haverfordwest, where he started his rugby career before moving on to the Scarlets.

Rob won 39 caps for Wales, including a Grand Slam in 2019. He has already started training with his new teammates at Pembroke Road.

Rob said: “I am really excited about joining the Blues and putting something back into the town – and more broadly, community rugby.

"It feels like the right time to repay the people who helped me on the ladder at the start of my career. Randal wants to build here. It will be brilliant and I’m looking forward to it.”

Coach Randal Evans, who recently joined the club from Narberth, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming a player of Rob’s calibre and excited about the impact he can make with us.

"Rob is still highly driven and focussed on helping our ambition. He wants to achieve at Haverfordwest.”

Alongside his senior international career, Rob played for Wales U20s and was part of the team that finished third in the 2012 IRB Junior World Championship in Suth Africa.

He made his senior debut for Wales in the 2015 Six Nations tournament against Ireland, with his last game against England in 2020. He played 151 times for the Scarlets over nine seasons between 2011 and 2020, before moving on to the Dragons.

Earlier this year, he retired from professional rugby and will now be plying his trade in Division Three West of the WRU Men’s National Leagues.

Rob’s family have strong ties to the club, with his father Graham and uncle Richard both playing for the side in the 1970s and 1980s.

Club secretary Graham Dalton said: “Rob means a great deal to the club because of his achievements and he’s hungry to help cultivate the next generation. There’s an air of excitement here.”

Haverfordwest RFC will begin the 2023-24 season at home to Neyland on September 2.