By Gareth James
George North has been dealing with pressure ever since he announced his Wales presence with a try double on his debut against South Africa in 2010.
Ten years on he will edge closer to joining that elite 100 Club when he wins his 96th cap in Saturday night’s clash against France in Paris.
But North admits he is dealing with a different type of pressure now after his wife Becky, a double Olympic medalist and former world champion in cycling, gave birth to their first son, Jac, during lockdown.
“For the past 10, 11 years of professional rugby, it has always been about me and what I have to do to get ready for Saturday,” said the Ospreys flier.
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“Obviously, that is still as important as ever, but when you have a small human that relies on you for everything, it makes you realise that in the grand scheme of things it is just a game and you have a family to protect and take care of.
“It certainly puts rugby on a level. It’s brilliant that I can go home and have family time, but in the same breath it’s wicked that I can still go away and play for my country, to play rugby and have that balance.
“In a way, it’s a different pressure now. Can I change a nappy fast enough before he starts crying? That’s real pressure now, isn’t it.”
North admits joining the 100 Club with Wales has been one of his goals.
And with five more games to come in the coming weeks he looks set to reach the century at the age of 28.
Only five other Wales players are in the club – Alun Wyn Jones, Gethin Jenkins, Stephen Jones, Martyn Williams and Gareth Thomas.
“I know what you are all thinking – I look old enough to do it! But I don’t feel it,” North said.
“For me that is one of my biggest goals, having 100 caps for your country.
“When I started my career, just to have one cap to my name would have been more than enough. I could have quite happily sat in the corner of the pub talking about that for years.
“In that 100-cap bracket you go into a club not many people get to, and hopefully I will achieve that and go on to achieve more.
“But at the moment, I am just looking forward to getting Saturday out of the way and getting back into some rugby and some bruising, and hopefully we can have a good autumn campaign.”
And while North closes in on the century 19-year-old Gloucester wing Louis Rees-Zammit will make his Test debut if he comes off the bench in Paris.
“He has been playing incredibly well,” said North of Rees-Zammit, whose electrifying pace has lit up the Gallagher Premiership.
“If you look at the back-three we have got at the moment, he is putting pressure on across the whole back-line, on myself, on Josh (Adams), on Liam (Williams) and ‘Halfers’ (Leigh Halfpenny) to really fight for our positions.
“He is involved this weekend, and hopefully he will get his first cap. I am sure that will be the first of many for him.”
