The former All Black proved the difference between the two London sides on a perfect night at the Twickenham Stoop that helped both teams serve up some free-flowing rugby. In the end Quins got through 32-22.

While Evans piled on the points through his boot, the 8,565 fans also had five tries to savour as Quins moved a step nearer to a potential third Challenge cup final.

Two of those tries came in a blistering opening salvo from the home side as they rattled up 14 points in the opening five minutes. Danny Care crossed first with less than two minutes on the clock and then Samoan back rower Maurie Fa’asavalu going over two minutes later.

Wasps were rattled, but they didn’t buckle and, to their credit, they stopped Quins from adding any more tires. More than that they responded with three of their own as they kept snapping at the heels of their hosts before finally having to concede defeat.

And while Evans ended with a 100 per cent goalkicking record, Dave Walder missed with two penalties and the closest the visitors got to closing the gap was 14-10 in the first half.

They managed one first-half tries through the impressive Seb Jewell, who had to come into the midfield at the last minute when Ben Jacobs pulled a hamstring in the warm-up, and then grabbed two more after the break through replacement hooker Tom Lindsay and flying wing Richard Haughton.

But every time they closed the gap then had to reckon with Evans, who hammered the final nail in the coffin with a 30 metre drop goal to complete his one-man wrecking job.