LEIGH Centurions have announce another new player for the 2018 Betfred Super League campaign onwards by confirming the signing of Rhys Evans on a three-year contract until the end of November 2020.

The 24-year-old Welsh international centre will join up with his new team-mates for pre-season training later this year.

Currently sidelined through a season-ending injury he has played 105 games for Warrington Wolves, scoring 42 tries since his Super League debut as a teenager in 2010.

He also played eight games for Leigh Centurions on dual registration forms during Ian Millward’s time as head coach in 2011, scoring four tries and earning Heritage Number #1349 after a try-scoring debut in a 26-24 victory over Barrow Raiders at LSV in April 2011.

Leigh Centurions Head Coach Neil Jukes said: “I worked with Rhys years ago when Basil (Ian Millward) was at the Club and saw at first hand the qualities he had. He plays the game tough, is quick, he has an eye for an opportunity and the ability to finish those opportunities.

“Since then I have watched his career blossom at Warrington and when the opportunity came to bring those qualities to Leigh Centurions it was a no-brainer, especially when I spoke to Rhys and saw he retains the hunger he had at a young age.

“Rhys is looking forward to being part of our Club and sharing in the success that we are building towards and we are looking forward to him joining us.”

Leigh Centurions owner Derek Beaumont said: “Rhys is a quality addition to our side for next year. We signed him earlier in the year, prior to his injury, and he had played every round with a starting squad number at Warrington, who were Challenge Cup runners-up and Grand Finalists, which speaks in itself.

“He has youth on his side and a big future ahead of him and is currently a rare commodity as far as home-grown centres go. He was impressed by our set-up which he is familiar with, but more so with Jukesy and how he thinks he can develop and improve his game, in turn improving our team.

“It is all about getting better each year and adding quality, experienced players and I think with Rhys and Bryson (Goodwin) added already to our back-line for next year our intentions are clear.

“Like with Bryson we had intended keeping this until the end of the season but as always seems the case it is out there and given Rhys is unable to feature again this season it seemed appropriate to announce it now.”

Rhys Evans and his twin brother Ben were born in Bridgend and first came to the notice of Rugby League scouts when playing for their school, Brynteg Comprehensive in a curtain-raiser to the 2005 Challenge Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, when Leigh Centurions’ assistant coach Paul Cooke scored Hull FC’s match-winning try.

Though the school’s alumni include union greats JPR Williams and Gavin Henson the twins were smitten by a love of Rugby League. At the age of 14 they uprooted with mother Jane from South Wales to sign scholarship forms for Warrington and continue their education in the north-west of England.

In 2010 the brothers played for England Under-18s in their two tests against the Australian Schoolboys both held at Leigh Sports Village which ended in famous victories by 38-30 and 34-22 respectively. New Centurions teammate Lachlan Burr was in the Australians’ side.

The brothers both played for Wales in the 2013 World Cup and 2014 was a breakthrough year for Rhys who scored 19 tries in 28 games for the Wolves and became established in the side. After an injury-ravaged 2015 season he scored eight tries in 34 Wolves games in 2016, appearing in the Wolves side that suffered heart-breaking narrow defeats in both the Challenge Cup Final against Hull FC and the Super League Grand Final against Wigan Warriors.

Ben played three games on loan at Leigh Centurions in 2016 and after leaving Warrington at the end of the 2016 season now plays for London Broncos.

Including dual registration games at Swinton Lions and North Wales Crusaders Rhys has scored 48 tries in 124 career games.