George North

George North burst on to the international stage in 2010 as an 18-year-old when he scored twice against South Africa on his debut at the Millennium Stadium. On that day, 13 November, he became the youngest player in almost 117 years to score a try on his debut for Wales – he was 18 years, 214 days, beating Tom Pearson, who was aged 18 years, 238 days when he scored against England in 1891.

He is the third youngest player to play for Wales behind his former Wales U18 team mate Tom Prydie and Norman Biggs. He is also third in line as Wales’ highest try scorer after Shane Williams (58) and Gareth Thomas (40).

His two tries against Nambia at the 2011 Rugby World Cup made him the youngest try scorer at the tournament – aged 19 years and 166 days – ahead of Australian Joe Roff. He won 20 caps for Wales as a teenager and became the first teenager in world rugby to score 10 Test tries. On 28 February, 2015, he became the youngest player to reach 50 caps when Wales played France (Wales 47 caps, Lions 3). He reached 50 caps for Wales on 29 August, 2015, in the World Cup warm-up win over Ireland in Dublin.

Although born in England, he was raised in north Wales from the age of two and went to school on Anglesey, Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern. He played junior rugby at the Llangefni, Pwllheli and Rhyl clubs and helped a North Wales U16 XV beat the Scarlets. He then won a rugby scholarship to Llandovery College, where he was converted from second row to outside centre. He played for Wales U16 and U18 and went into the Scarlets Academy. He scored twice on his Scarlets debut against Benetton Treviso in September, 2010.

He left the Scarlets after starring with the British & Irish Lions in Australia, when he scored in the first and third Tests as the Lions won the series 2-1. He made a second tour with the Lions in 2017, but failed to break into the Test team for the drawn series against New Zealand after suffering a hamstring injury.

His move to Northampton Saints in 2013 saw him become an English Premiership winner at Twickenham in May, 2014, when Saints beat Saracens. He returned to Wales on a National Dual Contract with the Ospreys at the start of the 2018/19 season.

He scored Wales’ first Six Nations try hat-trick against Italy in Rome in 2015 and set Welsh records of 473 metres gained, 12 clean breaks and 26 defenders beaten in the 2016 campaign when he was the tournament’s top try scorer with four. He helped Wales win the Grand Slam in 2012, the Six Nations title in 2013 and the Grand Slam again in 2019. His two tries in the win over France in Paris in 2019 set-up the bid for the third clean-sweep of Warren Gatland’s reign.