sport news Depressing finish to a fantastic international career for injured George North ... trends now
The sight of a battered and bruised George North using crutches and with his foot in a protective boot in the Principality Stadium mixed zone on Saturday night summed up a desperate and hugely disappointing Six Nations campaign for Wales.
After his last game of international rugby which ended in defeat by Italy and the Six Nations wooden spoon for Wales, North was the only player, save for captain Dafydd Jenkins, to face up to questions about the state of the Welsh game.
Given he had severely hurt his achilles with the clock in the red and won’t be a part of Wales’s future, North deserved immense credit for showing up.
‘People don’t always get the fairytale ending they want,’ he said, reflecting on his final 80 minutes before Test retirement. This was no way for one of the all-time greats to bow out.
North has been a tremendous servant to the red jersey. It was cruel that the centre left rugby’s highest level on the back of not only a worrying injury, but a chastening defeat.
George North's hugely impressive international career ended in sad fashion on Saturday
North was left battered and bruised on crutches and with his foot in a protective boot
While the scoreline represented on the face of things a narrow home loss to Italy, the reality was that the gulf between the sides was far more than just three points. Gonzalo Quesada’s Azzurri were in a different class to Warren Gatland’s men as they consigned Wales to finishing bottom of the Six Nations table for the first time since 2003 — and Gatland admitted Wales have now hit ‘rock bottom.’
His offer to resign in the wake of a fifth straight loss in 2024 was rejected by Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Abi Tierney in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s game.
Gatland’s quit question was the main headline of his post-match press conference. But did it also distract supporters from criticism of him as head coach and his assistants?
Mail Sport understands a number of Wales players have been unimpressed with the coaching they have received during the Championship. Some of those at Premiership clubs believe the coaching at domestic level is better than that in the Wales set-up.
Gatland’s team
