The hellish RWC training camp warning Gatland gave Wales after Six Nations
George North will make Welsh rugby history on Saturday when he plays in his fourth Rugby World Cup quarter-final.
At 31 – and almost 13 years after he made his Test debut – North will complete an outstanding personal achievement.
Just two Welshmen have played more times for their country than 117 times-capped North, while only player – former wing Shane Williams – has amassed more tries than his current tally of 47.
And he can now add four successive appearances in the World Cup knockout phase when Wales tackle Argentina in Marseille on Saturday.
“I’ve got a slightly better haircut now than I did in 2011!” North said.
“I was obviously a lot younger man back then, and I think the standard of the game and my role within it, I am now a bit more of a leader rather than a follower.
“When I was 18 it was more of a case of enjoying everything that came with it and every second of the rugby.
“It was the first experience, and now obviously a few moons have passed, but I am still loving the fact we are here, we are fighting.”
North, now at outside centre for Wales after moving from the wing, remains as important a part of the Wales team as at any time throughout his career.
And he will be to the fore at Stade Velodrome this weekend if Wales are to reach a third semi-final in the last four World Cup campaigns.
“We have been very fortunate that we’ve been in some big games for Wales over the years, and that ability of processing and understanding what your role (is) within it and understanding you’ve got to deliver,” he added.
“We’ve been to a few of these, and our focus has basically been, ‘let’s not change anything’. The focus has always been about doing your job, doing what you do well and bringing it to the game.
“Gats (Wales head coach Warren Gatland), even before the mini training camps started (for the World Cup), made a very Gats speech after the last Six Nations game out in France.
“He set the tone very early. He was like, ‘it’s going to be tough, probably the hardest thing, and if you are not willing to work and give everything, let me know now and I won’t pick you’.
“So, from day dot you have always had this understanding, and that is the way we’ve always done it. We always work hard, we make no apologies about it and a big part of that is you can’t lose focus on the here and now.
“This is the pointy end of the stick now. Whether you win by one or 100 points, you have just got to get that result.”
Gatland handed North his Wales debut as an 18-year-old against South Africa in 2010, and he underlined the magnitude of the midfield powerhouse’s feat.
“He is one of the leaders within the group,” Gatland said. “He has a big input and contribution into the week, on and off the field – it is a fantastic accolade for him.
“I think we were pretty conscious in this World Cup about trying to create a midfield combination that is a little bit more settled. We know how many combinations that have been there in the last few years.
“I think that has helped the progress the team has made from an attacking perspective that we have kept George together in the midfield for as many games as we have.”
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> 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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