George North has returned to the Wales squad after barely two hours of rugby in 13 months, underlining his importance to head coach Wayne Pivac.
In North’s absence since he sustained knee damage playing against Cardiff in April last year, Pivac has used five players at outside centre over 12 games. It has been a merry-go-round in a position which had appeared settled before the Test centurion sustained his injury.
But he is starting to move up the gears again. After coming off the bench for the Ospreys against the Scarlets last month, it needed brick-wall defence to hold him up on the line and he also made a lovely outside break which showcased the pace of the wingman that he has been for most of his professional career. Against the Dragons there was a solid 80 minutes banked, too.
Read more: The likely Wales team to face South Africa as Pivac goes full circle
Plenty would have seen his return to the Wales squad to travel to South Africa this summer as a formality, but North was not among them, happy though he is to be included in the 33-man line-up. Asked if he had been expecting a call from Wales this early in his comeback, he said: “No, to be honest. For me, the main focus off the back of my injury was just to get back playing for the Ospreys and trying to find a groove.
“I’ve been involved in limited games but with the [two] I’ve played back to back, I’m feeling better each time. It’s amazing and I’m chuffed to be selected. Obviously, I realise I have a lot of work to do to get back up to speed.”
His comeback has been gruelling, though, with a year spent rehabbing alongside Dewi Lake and Dan Lydiate. There were highs, lows, some laughter, hopes raised then dashed before it all came together with all three now fit again and this week named in Pivac’s group for Wales' three-Test tour.
“It's a testament to the hard work of the medical team at the club but also to the graft of individuals as well,” said North. “Every day it was tough. I tried to remain positive and have a focus each day. But for a long-term injury there's no way you can sustain [that]. To have those two guys who were going through it as well — Dan with the same injury as me, Dewi slightly different — going through that graft and slog at the same time is huge.
“Look at the form Dewi's in: he's picked up a few Welsh caps as well. I tell him it's not down to his hard work as much as the leadership from Lyds and myself! Lyds has been playing well and it's great to see him get his position back in the Welsh team. The original three injured boys have managed to escape to be back playing properly.”
Happy days, with all the hard work worth it, then. “Yeah. It was just over 12 months with my knee and I had a fair few setbacks and there were a fair few return dates put out there and taken away again. But that’s the nature of the injury, unfortunately. That’s why they paint such a broad spectrum on return dates. I’m just chuffed to be back playing.
“Massive kudos to the team here at Ospreys — two guys, in particular, Mat Bowen and Liam Thomas, who’ve been working with me tirelessly for 12 months and were probably sick of the sight of me towards the end. It just gets you back playing. It’s been a long old road.”
The Ospreys have missed North as much as Wales have missed him, and why wouldn’t they? With his strike-power in midfield or on the wing, he is an immense asset to both club and country, invariably crossing the gain-line and a nightmare to defend against.
Psychologically, he had to battle with missing the Lions tour last summer after working his way into contention during Wales’ Six Nations title-winning campaign. Was there ever a nagging doubt that he could come back and be the player he could be?
The reply came quickly. “That never crossed my mind,” said North. You can read more about the "superhero" who got him through darkness here.
“It was never Plan A and I found it difficult mentally, especially at the start because I felt I got myself into a good position. I felt I was playing well, gone from wing to 13 off the back of the Six Nations with the fuel that the Lions tour was driving me. That was taken away and I found that really tough. To have that time early on, that eight weeks to really focus on and get the initial surgery done, and I was thankful for the support I had from my wife Becky and my family and that mental break.
“I don't think people really understand the pressure pot that you're on. You're not just 9am-5pm Monday to Friday and play Saturday. Every day you're in the pressure pot to deliver and perform. Mentally, it was great. Physically it was even better, allowing the rest of my body to heal.”
But it’s in the past now with North recharged and having much to look forward to in the coming weeks and months, starting with a United Rugby Championship clash against the Bulls in Swansea on Friday evening that will determine whether the Welsh team win the Welsh Shield and play Heineken Champions Cup rugby next season.
For Toby Booth’s side, it’s effectively a cup final. “Yeah, it’s brilliant,” said North. “It’s been a long old season for the boys and obviously I haven’t been able to feature as much as I would have been hoping to. To be able to play for some sort of higher honours next year would be great and put us in the mixer for a big season next year. It’s all in our hands, so we need to go out on Friday night and do our best.”
North isn’t getting ahead of himself and knows he is still getting to where he wants to be after his long layoff. But at times against the Scarlets there were clear signs of the explosiveness which has made him so valued by Wales and the Ospreys. It was perhaps more than his coaches might have dared hope for.
How he has found his return so far? “It has been difficult, for sure,” he said. “Like anything, the way the game is developing if you miss a couple of weeks or 12 months like myself, the game develops. The speed and physicality goes up. I feel like I’m finding my feet OK at the moment.
“I’ve obviously had limited games this season but I’ve taken as many as I can. I’ve probably been a bit tough on myself and said I was a bit rusty to start with but there was always going to be an element of that with the time I had off. For me it was a big focus to get back playing and getting to a stage where I know where I’m at and once I get that volume and consistency in then I can really push on.”
It good to see the big man back.
