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Evan Olmstead is heading to the Aviva Premiership for the 2016/17 season. The Canadian international has signed a two year contract with Newcastle Falcons, his first in a top flight professional division. Olmstead joined London Scottish on a short-term deal in January and has since played seven times in the Greene King IPA Championship including four starts, all on the blindside flank.
“It’s been a lot of fun [with Scottish]. We’ve had mixed results as a team but I’ve been getting good game time. There are some great guys and good players, and having [ex-England prop] Tim Payne as a forwards coach has been really helpful for me. He’s been great at refining some of those English tight-play skills as well as giving me a lot of license on attack.”
With his Championship season now complete, Olmstead will head south to Australia for a few weeks before joining up with the Canadian team in Victoria for the June test series, assuming he is selected by new Canada supremo Mark Anscombe. Since making his debut against Samoa in July, Olmstead has won seven caps, all at lock, and was part of Canada’s 2015 World Cup squad.
In the new English season he will fall under the watchful eye of former British & Irish Lions test no8 Dean Richards, once a police constable and now Head Coach at Falcons. Pumas midfield pair Juan Pablo Socino and Gonzalo Tiesi are also at the club. US Eagles forwards Eric Fry and Todd Clever are currently under contract but are not expected to be retained for the 2016/17 season.
