George North has undergone a setback as he seeks to battle back from the injury that has sidelined him for close on 12 months.
The 102-cap Wales international damaged anterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee while playing for the Ospreys against Cardiff last April. His region had hoped he would have been able to return for their United Rugby Championship clash with Zebre on March 6.
But his comeback has been delayed, with North currently at home rather than in South Africa, where the Ospreys are playing the Lions and Stormers during a short tour.
“He’s not fully training yet,” revealed head coach Toby Booth. “The last five percent is always the hardest, and he wasn’t quite right.
“We don’t think he’s too far away. But he’s a big man and his knee will respond differently from those of others with the same injury. Everyone’s different.
“We are governed by the symptoms once he trains. We need to make sure we have control of that, because with all of our players we want them back not just for a week but for good. We need to make sure we are in a position of having healthy players who stay fit.”
After their games with the Lions and the Stormers, the Ospreys will head into derby matches against Cardiff, the Scarlets and the Dragons.
Injury recoveries are not a precise science, but Booth’s side would hope North would feature at some point during the regional jousts. “That’s the aim,” said the coach. “We expected him for the Zebre game but there’s been a couple of setbacks in terms of how his knee has reacted to training. We don’t think they are serious setbacks, but you have to build endurance into an injury, so that it doesn’t react every time it’s stressed.
“We’ve taken measures and are confident of getting George back as soon as his body will let him return, but that is a few weeks away yet. I’d like to think he’d be back for the derbies.”
None of the Ospreys’ Wales internationals who played in the Six Nations are in South Africa at this point. The situation is due to change next week, with the region planning to assess each case on merit and fly out those who are deemed mentally and physically fit to play.
It’s unclear if Alun Wyn Jones will be among those travelling.
He played his first game in five months last weekend, winning his 150th Wales cap when they faced Italy in Cardiff, but what should have been a celebratory occasion turned into a crushing disappointment for the hosts with their opponents claiming a 22-21 victory.
Where that leaves Jones is hard to say.
“We’ll have some of the international boys coming out next week, people who are fit to play,” said Booth. “That will be determined according to where they are mentally and physically.
“All of those international boys, every single one of them, including Alun Wyn Jones, will be treated on an individual basis. We are in the process of deciding what’s best for them after an international campaign, which is really, really difficult. As everyone knows, this one had an emotional end to it and the question is what’s best for them to perform well. There’s no point bringing people out who aren’t in the right physical [state] or mental frame of mind to perform well.
“Secondly, with some of those players there’s always been a plan for people not to play in these two weeks. I’m not at liberty to say who those people are, but this week is a good opportunity to assess where those players are so we can make important decisions.”
For one of the first times in his career, Jones wasn’t acclaimed after a Wales international. You can read one view suggesting it may be time for him to retire as a Wales international here.
The 36-year-old found it hard to put his customary stamp on the game against Italy, but it was his first match since October and Booth looked to shield one of Welsh rugby’s most iconic players.
“You don’t get 150 caps by accident,” said the Ospreys team boss. ”Let’s get that out there.
“Every one he’s got he’s earned. People have talked about whether he should be playing or not playing and did he play well enough, but we can go through anyone’s game and find things that we think aren’t right.
“Ultimately, the person who had to decide [whether he was ready to play] was Wayne Pivac. He’s the person who worked with him on a daily basis. Al wasn’t with us so we couldn’t comment.
"Wayne must have thought he was good enough to go, because he picked him. No player is ever going to say no when his country comes asking him to play, especially someone as passionate as Al is around playing for Wales."
Should Wayne Pivac stay or go? You can cast your vote now
Booth continued: “Everyone’s talking about it, but there was a point difference when he left the pitch, so if people are trying to hang the team performance around individuals I don’t think that’s correct. You win as a team and you lose as a team.
“I don’t think his performance warranted any more specific attention than others. I understand you are going to get that because that’s who he is, but we see him as a massive part of what we do. He’s an iconic player for Wales and an iconic player for the Ospreys, and we’ll be making sure we get him to finish the rest of the season strong with us and put his best foot forward.
“Scrutiny comes with the levels you play at and the player you are. Al’s obviously going to draw media attention because of who he is. Whether it’s fair or unfair, my opinion doesn’t really matter. I’m about supporting our player the best that I can.
"But it’s ancient history now. He’s coming off Welsh duty, he’s coming back to the Ospreys and that’s what we need to focus on.”
