George North Told To Step It Up Ahead Of Ireland Test

There will be no respite for George North on the day of his 50th Wales cap after Warren Gatland piled the pressure on the half-centurion for only scratching the surface of his ‘freakish' potential.
The 23-year-old ‘man-child', who has been terrifying defenders with his brute strength since 2010, will reach the landmark against Ireland on Saturday when he returns from a neurologist-enforced five-month absence due to multiple concussions.
With Monday's 31-man World Cup squad announcement looming, Gatland warned his players that no one has a ‘divine right' to selection and told North that he expects more from the gifted 17 stone winger.
George North is playing his 50th Test for Wales on Saturday against Ireland as he returns from a concussion
Wales coach Warren Gatland has piled the pressure on his 17 stone winger to meet his 'freakish' potential
‘He's got 50 caps, which is exceptional, but there's still a lot of improvement,' said Gatland.

‘He's got the ability to get a lot better than he is at the moment. Players of his ability have got to get their hands on the ball.

'I remember seeing him as an 18-year-old playing for the Scarlets and said "There's a freakish talent there, we've got to cap him as soon as possible".

Over the last 12 months, he probably hasn't played as well as we would have liked and he's aware of that.'
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Rustiness will be inevitable after North's length lay-off. His girlfriend, Team GB cyclist Becky James, revealed last week that he suffered speech problems in the aftermath of the impacts and - with brain damage awareness at an all time high - Gatland has been careful not to rush back one of his biggest weapons.
‘You have concerns about all your players,' said Gatland.

‘He's had a few knocks on his head and hopefully that's behind him. We've got to make sure things are right because if he picks up one or two more serious knocks, that could be the end of his career.'
Gatland says North still has a lot of room for improvement and hasn't played as well as he would have liked
Gatland https://pinfaves.com/jamie-park-weight-loss/ will finalise his 31-man World Cup squad on Monday following the match against Ireland in Dublin
Fitness doubts remain over fellow winger Liam Williams, whose return from foot surgery has been hindered by a virus that caused 4kg of weight loss from his already sleight frame. 
Williams sat out of training last week as the final 39 players - eight of whom will be axed after the weekend - upped the ante by increasing their running distances from 14-20km to 50km.
Gatland claimed '25 or 26' have already secured their ticket to the World Cup - hinting that he is likely to pick a combination of 17 forwards and 14 backs - but the jury is still out over the inclusion of high-profile stars such as Lions winger Alex Cuthbert and ex-skipper Bradley Davies. 
Both face a nervous weekend in Ireland, with the selection committee already showing their ruthlessness by dropping Lions trio Richard Hibbard, Mike Phillips and James Hook.
Liam Williams' return from foot surgery has been hit by a virus that has seen the winger drop 4kg 
Yorkshire-born front rower Tomas Francis, of the Exeter Chiefs, makes his debut against Ireland
‘As coaches, we've got to make hard decisions,' said Gatland.

‘There's no divine right to wear this jersey. You've got to perform every time you pull it on because it's a massive responsibility. Sometimes it's not about loyalty or the fact that you've played so many games. That's part of the job - we don't always get it right, but we're not afraid to put our hands up.'
Unlike the first warm-up Test in Cardiff, Gatland did not discuss selection over the phone with Ireland coach Joe Schmidt.

The Kiwi has named a close-to-full-strength team, with Yorkshire-born Tomas Francis making his debut in the front-row, despite being on the radar of England coach Stuart Lancaster.
‘Tomas is a quirky character,' said stand-in skipper Alun-Wyn Jones, who has taken over the captaincy following a shoulder injury to Sam Warburton. ‘He's come in and done a lot of work behind the scenes.

As a result, he's not just a set-piece asset but an asset around the park.'

WALES TEAM TO PLAY IRELAND Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon), Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), Scott Williams (Scarlets), Jamie Roberts (Harlequins), George North (Northampton Saints), Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Rhys Webb (Ospreys), Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs), Bradley Davies (Wasps), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys, capt), Dan Lydiate (Ospreys), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Taulupe Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons)
Replacements: Scott Baldwin (Ospreys), Paul James (Ospreys), Aaron Jarvis (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Racing Metro), James King (Ospreys), Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), Hallam Amos (Newport Gwent Dragons)



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