By Paul Jones Shane Williams has backed George North to chase down his international try-scoring record after rediscovering his love of rugby and earning his 100th Wales cap. North, 28, will bring up his century of appearances when Wales face England in Cardiff on Saturday, having missed the win over Scotland last time out due […]

George North has been given the “green light” to win his 100th Wales cap against England in the Six Nations showdown next week. North missed Wales’ second Six Nations win against Scotland last weekend with a foot injury. But the 28-year-old British and Irish Lions star has returned to training ahead of England’s visit to Cardiff on Saturday week. Wales attack coach Stephen Jones said: “George is making good progress, every day he is improving. He’s taken part in some sort of training already, which is great, and that’s the good thing from our perspective. I believe it is a full green light.”

Scott Williams believes the best thing to happen to George North this season was being dropped by Wayne Pivac. Ospreys centre Williams – a teammate of North’s for region and country – believes the Lions star has found his best form following that rejection by the Wales coach in autumn and also discovered a new lease of life by moving from wing to centre. Williams – whose own Wales career has been halted for the time being by back problems – has hailed the performance of North during Wales’ opening Six Nations victory over Ireland on Saturday.

Wayne Pivac has vowed his Wales team will give the country reason to get excited when they launch their Guinness Six Nations campaign against Ireland in Cardiff on Sunday. The Wales coach has picked George North at centre and recalled wing Hallam Amos and flanker Dan Lydiate for the opening match of the tournament as injuries and the axing of Josh Adams forced the coach’s hand. Ospreys wing North, who wins his 99th cap, is partnered by Johnny Williams in midfield as Wales go into action without Scarlets centre Jonathan Davies.

A Six Nations tournament in the year of a Lions tour always adds extra spice, but for Wayne Pivac it might just be food that keeps him alive, according to Harri Morgan. With Lions places dangled on a string in front of them, he expects a few Wales players to step forward. As a fan, with designs on following the Lions to the southern tip of Africa, my preference would be for a postponement until 2022. The ‘+1’ approach is conceptually simple.

Rugby fans love an official list, a ranking, a team of this year or that year and so on. For that reason, there was no shortage of interest and debate when the World Rugby Team of the Decade, “picked in association with Mastercard” was announced this week. Eyebrows were raised at the bloke on the right wing. They should not have been, says Harri Morgan. Advocates for including Michael Owen in a Premier League team of the Noughties would likely have been subject to a whirlwind of polite disagreement from social media. At the end of the decade, Owen was predominantly collecting splinters at Manchester United, who he had joined on a free transfer following Newcastle’s relegation at the end of the 2008-9 season.

George North has been told to answer the big question of what comes next at outside centre for Wales after Jonathan Davies. The man looking for clues is Wales coach Wayne Pivac, who has named North at No.13, rather than on the wing, to face Italy on Saturday. Davies has been injured since the defeat to Ireland three weeks ago and although Pivac said he could have played this weekend, the coach is anxious to examine long term options to replace a player who will be 33 in April.

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has labelled his team’s final match of the Autumn Nations Cup against Italy as an opportunity for new blood and old heads. Pivac has made nine changes to the starting line-up for the match in Llanelli on Saturday. Flanker Justin Tipuric, who missed the 24-13 loss to England last weekend because of a head knock, returns to the back row alongside James Botham and Taulupe Faletau.

Wales suffered a sixth straight defeat under head coach Wayne Pivac after a 25-9 defeat against Ireland in their opening Autumn Nations Cup game. Pivac’s side were ruthlessly punished for conceding a stream of penalties and never looked likely to threaten to score a try in Dublin.

Tomos Francis has come a long way in five years, although there have been plenty of bumps and scrapes on the road to his 50th cap for Wales. The Aviva Stadium represents a special place for the Exeter Chiefs prop, who will reach that landmark against Ireland this evening. It was where he made his international bow and will also be the place where he brings up a half century of appearances.

As the inquests over Wales’ Six Nations campaign continue, there is the usual talk of re-shuffles. But one man won’t be brought back and there’s no obvious successor. Hadleigh Parkes is already being badly missed, says Harri Morgan. Time to clear out the dead wood. Poor performance inevitably results in a demand for change. In professional sport, personnel is the simplest performance variable for us to comprehend.

George North has been told by Wayne Pivac there is a route back into the Wales team after the ‘easy’ decision to leave him out against Scotland. The Ospreys flier was set to reach 100 Test appearances in the Six Nations finale on Saturday having racked up 96 appearances for his country and three for the British Lions.