NORTH IS TRYING FOR NEW RECORD

England v Wales Today, KO 4.45pm

GEORGE NORTH has ruled out breaking the Welsh cap record – but Brian O’driscoll’s Six Nations try record is bang in his sights.

North (above) enters a 13th Championship having overtaken Shane Williams’ Welsh tally of 22 tries and is only three short of the tournament high of 26 in 65 matches by O’driscoll (right).

At Twickenham today the man who launched his love affair with the Six Nations as a precocious 19-year-old in the seething cauldron of Stade de France in 2011 will become the fifth Welshman to play 50 times in the tournament.

It will be his 119th cap for his country – 39 short of Alun Wyn Jones’ record – and he said: “Alun Wyn’s record is safe! But it would be massive for me to get closer to Brian’s record.

“Just like Shane, he is a player I grew up watching. They were my heroes and to be spoken about in the same sentence and for the same records is an honour. Hopefully there’s enough fight left in me to get there.”

Even though he has been playing international rugby for 14 seasons, making his debut at 18 with two tries against the Springboks, 31-year-old North is still not the oldest in the Welsh camp. His former Scarlets club-mate Gareth Davies currently holds that distinction.

He is, however, the most senior player in the camp with his 118 caps, two Grand Slams, four Six Nations titles, and four World Cup campaigns. North also knows what it’s like to go to Twickenham as a rookie and will be offering advice to the newbies in Warren Gatland’s new-look side.

He said: “We’ve just got to go out there and, as a minimum, start as we finished against Scotland - and then hopefully push on to another gear.” ENGLAND: F Stewart; T Freeman, H Slade, F Dingwall, E Daly; G Ford, A Mitchell; J Marler, J George (capt), W Stuart; M Itoje, O Chessum; E Roots, S Underhill, B Earl.

C Winnett; R Dyer, G North, N Tompkins, J Adams; I Lloyd, T Williams; G Thomas, E Dee, K Assiratti, D Jenkins (capt), A Beard, A Mann, T Reffell, A Wainwright.