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Evan Olmstead‘s New Zealand adventure is over – for now. The Canadian international has departed the North Island and returned to England where he has rejoined the Newcastle Falcons for the rest of the English Premiership season.
After starring for Auckland in the Mitre 10 Cup and earning man-of-the-match honors in the final, many expected Olmstead to sign a Super Rugby deal with the Blues. The expectation turned to disappointment, however, as the franchise had already filled their squad and could only offer a spot in the extended training squad.
Having stuck it out for the entire preseason an offer instead came to return to the club where Olmstead spent two seasons before departing at the end of the 2017-18 campaign. This time his task will be to help the Falcons dig themselves out of relegation.
Newcastle are currently five points below Worcester at the bottom of the table with nine weeks to play in the season. While nearly all of his international appearances have come at lock, Olmstead was used primarily as a blindside flanker for Auckland and his versatility should prove useful for the Falcons who have struggled with injuries this season.
