When Bill Shankly signed a giant centre-half named Ron Yeats for Liverpool football club back in the day, he invited the gentlemen of the press to take a close-quarters look at the club’s new acquisition. “Go on, walk around him. He’s a colossus,” said the great man.
There are no reports of the Scarlets doing the same when they unveiled George North as a player. But he was an 18-year-old wing who stood 6ft 4in in his stockinged feet and weighed in at 16st 7lb. Those were no ordinary dimensions for a wide-man or, come to think about it, for a lad who had only just completed his A levels.
Anyway, press the fast-forward button and yesterday’s boy wonder hits 30 on Wednesday. Where have the years gone?
