Skip to content
Exclusive

North has fingers crossed

Wales rising star George North has his fingers crossed he has done enough to earn a place at the World Cup.

Rising star hopes for 'ultimate honour' of World Cup spot

Wales rising star George North has his fingers crossed that he has done enough to earn a place at the World Cup finals. The Scarlets winger has been included in Warren Gatland's squad for the meeting with the Barbarians in Cardiff on June 4, despite only recently returning from injury. North, 19, burst onto the scene last November with two tries on his debut against South Africa in the autumn internationals, but his place at September's World Cup in New Zealand is not certain. Wales will only play three more warm-up matches after the meeting with the Barbarians, while they will also embark on two training camps in Poland, and North therefore hopes that he has already done enough to impress. "Obviously it will be a great honour if I am picked for the World Cup," he told skysports.com "I guess all the hard work is done now. There is not much I can do now apart from putting a game in against the Barbarians.

Idolise

"Hopefully I will get picked for the squad and hopefully I can do my job. But, if you ask any professional rugby player in any country, the ultimate honour is to play in a World Cup. "I have got the chance this year to be selected and be a part of it. Hopefully Wales can win some silverware." North also recognises that it has been an intensive learning curve after his swift progression to playing alongside the likes of Stephen Jones and Matthew Rees. "It is amazing," he said. "I can't describe it. I have been watching these guys on the TV since I was young, or younger, and idolising them. "Now I get the chance to play with them. Stephen, Matthew Rees and the Scarlets boys, Shane Williams and James Hook - guys who I looked up to - they are helping me out. "That spurs me on to be there a bit longer so that I can play with them and learn something from them." Wales International George North was launching the new adiZone in Cardiff. An outdoor multisport giant gym, designed and developed by adidas, adiZones can be used by anyone, at anytime, all year round.

Exclusive

Around Sky