It was the thighs that had it for Warren Gatland when he first saw George North in action. The wing was a hulking teenager playing for the Scarlets and within a few weeks he was winning his first cap for Wales against the then World Cup holders, South Africa. Five years on North is a mainstay of the side and a very big reason why England will gain little relief from the men in red’s injury problems.
“The last time I saw a pair of thighs like that was on Samoans back in New Zealand,” said Gatland after picking North for the first time. The Norfolk-born Northampton wing has been a fixture in the side ever since, becoming the youngest player to score a try in the World Cup finals in 2011 and earlier this year the youngest to reach 50 caps in Test rugby. The 23-year-old’s thighs will be the least of the problems of the man marking him at Twickenham, Jonny May; he will also have to contend with the pace, power and positioning of a player who is two years younger than him but has won three times as many caps, stands three inches taller and is three stone heavier.
England like their wings to stay wide in attack and defence, ready to exploit space, but North has a licence to roam and was upbraided by Gatland last year for not involving himself enough in matches, one reason why the Wales coaches have toyed with the idea of turning him into an outside-centre, a plan aborted this tournament because of injuries.
“Warren and Rob Howley [the attack coach] are always on my back,” says North, who has switched to the right wing, where he made his debut, to accommodate the left-footed Hallam Amos. “They are like a tag team, where there is one, there is the other. The more touches of the ball you have in a game, the greater the impact you can have. That has been put to me for the last two seasons and I imagine it is something I will have until the end of my career. It is about concentrating my mind, knowing when to work and making sure I do it properly.”
England may have picked a midfield to contend with Wales’s power game which is based on the centre Jamie Roberts storming the gain line, backed up by the likes of North and Taulupe Faletau, but their back three of Mike Brown, Anthony Watson and May pose a considerable attacking threat. One of North’s tasks will be to drag his marker infield and break up the hosts’ defensive structure.
“Watson and May have been playing exceptionally well,” he says. “They are looking sharp and clinical and England have picked a team they feel can do a job on the day. We know the firepower they have but we have got the chance to show what we can do. Any match involving Wales and England is huge, but this one is up there with the biggest of my career. If some people think it would be an upset if we won, I do not. No one would have backed Japan to beat South Africa, but that is the beauty of the World Cup. England have the bonus of being at home but a victory would be a significant step for us with Australia also in the group. It is the time you want to be shining.”
North, who will be playing his third match since a long layoff with concussion, helped Wales reach the semi-finals in 2011, when they lost to France by a point having played the final hour with 14 men. He was 19 then but, like a number of the side to face England, has gained experience and maturity in the years since and the last team to defeat a full-strength Wales was England back in February at the Millennium Stadium.
“It was a massive learning curve for me four years ago,” he says. “I was so naive then to the ways of international rugby. I only had a few caps and had to find out aspects like getting my preparation right. My overall understanding of the game, how it works and the passages of play where I am best used, has increased: it has generally been about working out where I can be a pain.”
Asked if he could be described as the best wing in the world, he replies: “That is not me. I know when I get my preparation right, I will play well and I don’t necessarily need to say that I want to be the best. Everyone can see that’s me. I am just one of 15 guys looking to do a job. We have had some injuries, but every player who has been picked against England has Warren’s complete trust. We have all been through some rough times and we will stand together.”
Gatland was asked this week to define Warrenball, the pejorative word coined in Australia two years ago during the Lions tour to define an overtly physical approach involving big players trying to bash their way through defenders. “I don’t know what it is,” he replied. “A few trophies have been won through it and perhaps people who use the term are jealous of that, but it is not about one style. To play at this level, you have to be physical: we have such a small playing base that when big players come along they tend to be picked because you need to compete with the big boys.”
North, 6ft 4in and 17 stone, has the size – and thighs – to serve his country well.
