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George North's brilliantly honest reaction to Wales re-call and facing the Boks
George North says he was surprised by his Wales call-up after playing just two hours of rugby following a 12-month injury lay-off.
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The 30-year-old centre or wing suffered knee ligament damage in April 2021, ending hopes of making a third successive British and Lions tour in South Africa last summer.
North finally returned to action last month and, despite making just one start for the Ospreys and another appearance off the bench, has been named in Wayne Pivac’s Wales squad for this summer’s three-Test series in South Africa.
Asked if he had expected to take on the world champions, North said: “No, to be honest.
“My main focus off the back of my injury was just to get back playing for the Ospreys and trying to find a groove.
“I’ve been involved in limited games, but I’m feeling better each time.
“It’s amazing and I’m chuffed to be selected, though obviously I realise I have a lot of work to do to get back up to speed.”
North, Wales’ fourth-most capped player on 102 appearances and his country’s second-highest try scorer with 43, made his international debut in 2010 and is well used to Test rugby’s crunching collisions.
He believes his enforced lay-off has allowed his body to heal and that he will return to action a better player.
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“There have been some tough times, especially when the return date was taken away for my own safety and my own benefit,” North said.
“I’ve never really had a long term injury like that. To push hard every day is a big ask when you go six, seven, eight, nine, 10 or 11 months and eventually get back playing at 12.
“There were some grumpy days, for sure, but I always try to have that positive mindset and I had that mental break.
“I don’t think people understand the pressure pot that you are on. You’re not just nine to five, Monday to Friday, and play Saturday.
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“It’s 12 months, every day you are in the pressure pot to deliver and to perform. When you can’t and it gets taken away from you, there’s nothing else you can do but give yourself a break.
“Physically, it allowed the rest of my body to really heal and to cross out any little niggles I’d been carrying.
“Now it’s about trying to find that consistency again for me and putting my hand up as much as I can.”
North admits missing out on a third Lions tour came as a huge blow after he had helped Wales to Six Nations title success in 2021.
He said: “I felt I’d got myself into a good position. I was playing well, I’d gone from the wing to 13 off the back of the Six Nations with the fuel of the Lions tour that was driving me.
“That was taken away and I found it really tough. All I wanted to do was get back playing rugby, and to have the honour of putting the Welsh jersey on again would be huge.
“What an opportunity now, and what a test, to have three Tests out in South Africa.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Firstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
99 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
99 Go to commentsHo hum.
99 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
99 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
99 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
99 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
99 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
99 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
99 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
99 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
99 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
99 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to commentsGoodness. When are the All Blacks and New Zealand commentators going to stop complaining about how they could have won and just try to win next time 😂. In South Africa if you lose you get up and try again. Get over it.
99 Go to comments