It may not be long until George North is back on a rugby pitch after the Wales and Ospreys ace shared footage of himself running for the first time since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in April.
The last thing fans will want is to build false hope regarding the return of one of Wales’ most talented stars, but theres bound to be excitement building around the prospect of his return.
North, 29, ruptured the ACL in his right knee when Ospreys beat Cardiff at the Swansea.com Stadium (then the Liberty Stadium) in the first round of the Pro14 Rainbow Cup on April 24.
The 102-cap Wales veteran confirmed shortly after he would require surgery, ruling him out of a British and Irish Lions tour in which he looked certain to feature for coach Warren Gatland.
Winger North—who has evolved to become a top centre as well—wrote: "Sport can be cruel. I will need surgery next week. Heartbroken is an understatement.”
Fast-forward to the present day and supporters will rejoice at seeing North back on the treadmill, even if it is an anti-gravity model used by athletes en route to recovery.
An anti-gravity treadmill supports the user’s weight while they walk or run, helping restore the mechanics associated with those movements while still supporting the healing tissues.
North took to social media to share evidence of his comeback, beaming at the camera as he celebrated a memorable milestone on his road back to the pitch:
He captioned the post: “Levelled up on rehab now. 17 weeks today and running again. Really looking forward to pushing on now. Watch this space.”
Ospreys and their fans in particular will be glad at the sight considering the inaugural United Rugby Championship is scheduled to get underway on September 24.
A restructured version of what was previously the Pro14, the URC will see 12 teams from Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Italy welcome four South Africa clubs to the new-look league.
And North’s prospects of featuring earlier on this season look to be brightening after his latest update, though he still faces a wait before he’s back to full fitness.
ACL ruptures typically take between six to nine months to heal, putting North roughly on track to return at the swifter end of that scale.
Wales coach Wayne Pivac will watch the video with interest, too, as the national team prepare for autumn fixtures against New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji and Australia in October and November.
It may be premature to expect North to be back at 100 per cent for those fixtures, however, especially when the 2022 Six Nations will take greater precedence.
That being said, North—Wales’ fourth most capped player of all time—won’t need to prove himself much for his club considering Pivac will be well aware of his quality at the elite level.
Shane Williams (58) is the only player who has scored more tries for Wales to date, and the record may be in reach for North, who needs to cross over 16 more times to take top spot.
For now, fans will delight in the news that one of Wales’ most treasured talents is back up and running, a significant step on his long journey back from a horrific setback.
