 George North has scored four tries in five competitive fixtures |
Coach Nigel Davies says wing George North, 18, must play for the Scarlets to be fit for Wales this autumn. North is the only uncapped member of Wales' 33-man squad for autumn Tests against Australia, South Africa, Fiji and New Zealand. But he is sidelined with an ankle injury and not due to return to training for two to three weeks. Davies said: "He'll have to play... for us before he potentially plays in any of the autumn series games." Wales kick off their November series against Australia on Saturday, 6 November and follow that with the clashes against the Springboks, Fiji and All Blacks. North, 6ft 4in and 16st 7lb, has impressed at regional level this season, but his progress was halted in the Scarlets' recent Magners League defeat by the Ospreys when he suffered the injury. Davies said: "I think George has shown a lot of potential, he's shown his worth he has great stature, great pace and is an intelligent rugby player. "If I look at him, and I really don't want to over hype him, but he seems a natural international rugby player to me. "We don't want to heap up too much pressure on him at his stage, he needs to focus on his rugby but he has all the ingredients required.  | 606: DEBATE salted_meat_and_malt_beer |
"I would anticipate in all reality that he'll have to play some rugby for us before he potentially plays in any of the autumn series games. "George has obviously benefited from the exposure he's had with us this season, he's fitted into this squad very well and very quickly and he's not just a passenger he's made an impact in games for us. "I said to him from day one there will be opportunities for him here - you can coach up-and-coming players for however many years you want, but unless they play at the top level which you train for, they will never get where they need to. "He's played against some of the best already and knows the standard he has to aspire to, and that has given him extra confidence and belief." North himself has revealed he did not initially believe the news of his selection by Wales boss Warren Gatland and was convinced his international call-up was part of a practical joke. "I just couldn't believe it when I got the text so I got my agent to phone-up and check it was for real," said North. He was one of six Scarlets named in the Wales squad for the autumn series along with Stephen Jones, Matthew Rees, Tavis Knoyle, Rob McCusker and Jon Davies. North is currently on a development contract with the region and has had the Wales call with just five months of senior squad rugby under his belt. "It's amazing - such an honour and I was really surprised. My parents were over the moon for me," added North. "I'm just really grateful and delighted with the chance to be in the Wales camp and I'm really looking forward to the experience. | I feel really lucky to be able to work with a coach like Mark Jones |
"I'm obviously delighted, it's been such a great season for me so far with the Scarlets. "They've handed me the chance to play right from the beginning of the season and I've worked hard on my game and really concentrated on improving since joining the senior squad in the pre-season. "I just want to keep my head down and keep focus on improving my rugby." North played tribute to the help given to him by Scarlets skills coach and former Wales wing Mark Jones "I feel really lucky to be able to work with a coach like Mark Jones, who's fresh from the game and has really helped me look at how I play in different ways as well as helping me gain confidence and build belief," added North. "He kept telling me at the start that I wouldn't have been picked if I wasn't good enough - which coming from someone like him really helped." North played in all of the Scarlets first seven games this season, including friendlies against Gloucester and Worcester, scoring his first two tries for the region against Benetton Treviso away in Italy. North has shown his ability and flair already this season with four tries from the five competitive fixtures he's featured in.
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