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French ProD2 outfit confirm signing of Wales great George North
By Josh Raisey
Provence Rugby have ended weeks of speculation by confirming the signing of Wales great George North ahead of next season.
The winger turned centre will make the move from the Ospreys to team up with the ProD2 outfit in France on a two-year deal.
With his new club currently sit in second place in France's second division, so it is still unclear as to what league the 121-cap Wales international will be playing in next year.
Provence shared a video message by North after the signing was announced, where he signed off with his French. He said: “I just want to send a quick message to say how excited myself and my family are about joining Provence Rugby next season. I look forward to coming down and meeting and starting an amazing journey together. A bientot a Maurice-David. Allez les noirs".
Provence CEO Denis Philipon said: “We met in George North a boy of incredible class, who immediately showed interest in the club’s project. His motivation is enormous. We are obviously very happy that he is joining us and we hope that he will thrill our supporters. His presence should allow us to take a very important step in our progress.
"George is a great rugby player but also a great man. We hope that through his talent, his professionalism, his knowledge of the very high level and his popularity, he will contribute to positioning Provence Rugby as one of the major players in French rugby of tomorrow.”
As the 31-year-old has more than 25 Wales caps, he will remain eligibile to represent his country next season despite playing abroad.
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Latest Comments
> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
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