| venue: twickenham, london date: Saturday, February 10th kick off: 16:45 GMT |
| coverage: Watch live on S4C. Listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru. Text commentary is available on his website and app on BBC Sport. |
Wales center George North will achieve another notable milestone in his illustrious career this Saturday in the Six Nations against England at Twickenham.
North are the fifth player to play 50 games in the tournament, following Stephen Jones, Gethin Jenkins and Alun Wyn Jones, who played only in the Six Nations era, and Martin Williams, who also played in a Five Nations game. Becomes a Welsh player.
North's previous 49 games have resulted in 31 wins, 17 losses and one draw, with 23 tries scored, three games shy of Brian O'Driscoll's competition record.
North was 18 when he made his Wales debut in November 2010 and played his first Six Nations match against France in Paris the following March.
So, what supports him at the age of 31?
“I think this is life coming full circle,” North said.
“My drive has never changed. It's always been the three feathers, the honor, privilege and respect for the jersey. That's what makes me strive every day.”
“I think there are quite a few people who would say I should have finished a few years ago, but that fight and the desire to do my best for Wales kept me focused.”
young at heart
North is the most experienced member of Warren Gatland's squad as they prepare for their 119th appearance for Wales this weekend.
He broke out as a teenager alongside players such as Sam Warburton, Taulupe Faletau, Leigh Halfpenny, Dan Lydiate and Jonathan Davies.
“I don't want to say it doesn't remind me of the old days, but it's very similar to now,” North said.
“The only difference is probably that when I got into that younger group, we had a few more senior players to help us coach and shape and perform for a little bit longer.”
North played in their fourth World Cup in France last year, but Wales head coach Gatland will play in a record-tying fifth World Cup in 2027, alongside Brian Lima, Sergio Parisse and Mauro Bergamasco. was not excluded.
North is unsure what his future holds, with the Ospreys set to move to French club Provence next season.
“In a four-year cycle, there's going to be a lot of rugby played,” North said.
“I imagine another World Cup camp will be an interesting discussion and it will be Guts and coffee.
“I have four more years to go to get to that point. I can't promise if my body is still ready to compete, but I'm doing everything I can to do my best.”
“I'm impressed with the growth of our young players.
“They have a great opportunity to stamp their authority on the jersey and show what they want this cycle to be for the next World Cup.
“What an exciting opportunity for me to be a part of that and help them on their journey. Whether I get there myself or not, we'll be having that conversation again.”
waiting game
One of the recent conversations between North and Gatland concerned the Welsh manager explaining why his center was left out in last weekend's opening game against Scotland.
North suffered a shoulder injury while playing for the Ospreys earlier this month and had limited time to prepare.
“It’s tough to watch at the best of times, working so hard to get in a position to win a jersey,” North said.
“I felt fine, but the coach told me to rest for another week.
“There aren't many people in the world who can change Gatz's mind when the time comes.
“I respect that decision. Did I agree? No, because I wanted to play. But the coach knows best, so I did my best to prepare the team for last week. .”
North pushed Wales to a 27-point deficit in 43 minutes, but despite an almost incredible comeback, they ultimately lost 27-26.
“We got a good enough message from the coaches to the guys who weren’t good enough in the first 40 minutes,” North said.
“We can't go back there again. Maybe we got caught up in our emotions.
“It was the first cap for several of the boys and many of them returned to the team for the first time in a while and played at home in front of a packed stadium.
“That's a lesson they have to learn quickly.
“You're there to do your job. You're passionate and take great pride in your work, but we're in the business of results, pure and simple.
“I think it was a real eye-opener and the first proper experience of having to deliver with everything else going on.”
twickenham test
So off to Twickenham. North came on as a substitute for Owen Watkin, appearing on matchday 23 for Gatland, and was the only player to feature in the victorious Wales first team, achieving success in the Six Nations and World Cup three years later in 2012. Becomes a player.
Wales have lost their last seven games on England's home soil. Wales have never won away at Twickenham in the Six Nations in the last 12 years, with Wales having only attempted five times.
“England v Wales is still an important game for everyone and there's plenty of history behind it,” North said.
“So this is not just a game. It's probably one of the biggest rivalries. We have to get a result.
“The challenge is big, we know that. We've prepared incredibly well and Duff (Jenkins) has led the way.
“On Saturday we at least need to start like we finished against Scotland and hopefully we can move into the next gear.”
