After riding with a Tour de France champion, North is ready to be a tour de force at Ospreys

GEORGE North is refreshed and ready to rumble after his first summer off since bursting into the Test arena eight years ago as a teenager with a two-try salvo against South Africa.

Rugby has been the last thing on the mind of the 26-year-old as he recharged his batteries, so to speak, mentally and physically.

North has been cycling with his pal Geraint Thomas, who last month became the first Welshman to win the Tour de France, and been enjoying time riding a motorbike around the sights of Wales.

There’s also a wedding to organise with his marriage to Olympic Games cycling silver medallist Becky James taking place next summer.

With so many off the field activities having been taking place, it’s easy to forget he has moved back to Wales from Northampton Saints after signing a National Dual Contract with the Welsh Rugby Union and the Ospreys.

The region get down to serious action on Friday night when they face Richard Cockerill’s Edinburgh at the Liberty Stadium on Friday night in their Guinness PRO14 opener.

North had one final trip before that date, with fellow petrol-head Scott Williams, when the pair went to Sunday’s MotoGP at Silverstone only for it to be abandoned because of a waterlogged track.

“It was an epic fail,” quipped North. “We had a full day planned, which was good, and there was just unforeseen weather.

“I imagine Silverstone had a bit of stick. We had a nice lunch and then came back. It’s very rare we get a few days off to relax like that.”

Ospreys had a training camp in Portugal before losing their final preseason fixture, when he made a try against English champions Saracens in London last Thursday night.

“We showed some good glimpses – there was some real positivity to carry through,” enthused North.

He was racking up the miles when he was with Northampton and multiworld champion James was living in Manchester.

North clocked up more than 22,000 in eight months in 2015 with a return trip to Cardiff for Wales training via Northampton, the north-west of England and his parents’ home in Rhoscolyn in north Wales being 634 miles and around 13 hours in the driving seat if there wasn’t any traffic holdups. “It’s nice to be home, to be back in Wales. It’s been good for me, everything is more on one page,” said North.

He made his Wales debut against the Springboks in November 2010 when he was just 18 years and 214 days to become the third youngest player in Wales history behind Tom Prydie and Norman Biggs.

A brace of touchdowns later as Wales pushed the then world champions all the way and North was boxoffice, an overnight sensation as he went from being an unknown to one of the most recognised faces in the country.

He’s gone on to win another 75 caps and touch down another 31 times for Wales. Throw in two Six Nations titles, one with a Grand Slam, a World Cup semi-final in New Zealand in 2011 and two tries during a winning Test series for the Lions in Australia in 2013, and it’s clear he’s made a mark.

North had to head south from Anglesey to finish schooling at Llandovery College after being spotted and head-hunted by the Scarlets.

However, they controversially sold him to Northampton in 2013 and he spent five enjoyable years with the Saints.

“It went well in Northampton with them and Wales but it was time for a change to get the best out of me,” he explained.

“I had eight weeks off during the summer but, by week five, Becky said to me: ‘When are you getting out training again?’ She was shooing me out of the door, which was fun.

“Mentally I needed it more than anything because it’s been a long, old slog – I started when I was 18!”

North said “reset” was “probably too strong a word” to describe where his rugby career is at, saying: “I don’t think my last years have been that bad.

“I think the move will give me a chance to refocus again, to get back to what I know I can be with the help of the Ospreys as well as hopefully having the help of the union to push forward.

“The better I can prepare myself and play for the Ospreys the better chance I have got of putting my hand up (for Wales) going forward.

“I do have targets. At the moment, they are real short-term. I haven’t had a real chance to re-evaluate long-term just because it’s been a bit of a whirlwind trip.”

Conversations about rugby during his summer of fun were quickly terminated.

“Having the time off and deciding to give myself a mental break from rugby, if anyone talked to me about rugby I would change the subject very quickly,” said North. “It has been ideal, I have been able to prat around, chasing yellow jerseys up hills and play on bikes, see family and go to three weddings this summer.”

So how did he get on against Thomas when they cycled around the Vale of Glamorgan? “I gave him an absolute kicking,” quipped North, before grinning: “There was one point where he was talking to me and texting as well as riding uphill. I thought he was taking the mickey!

“The break allowed me to properly switch off. It is difficult when you maybe have three or four weeks off maximum. The first week you are coming off down from the high of the season. By week two you have eaten and drunk quite a bit and week three you think I have only got a week or 10 days to get myself going again and get ready for pre-season again.

“I am very fortunate to play rugby and I love rugby. Sometimes when you are always on the go you sort of lose your way and your understanding to why you play.”

But reality hit home when Rob Horne, the Australia centre or wing, suffered a life-changing full paralysis of his right arm after being injured during Northampton’s clash with Leicester Tigers last April.

“I got close to Rob last season. I still pester him most days to make sure he is alright and I’m sure he is sick of me now,” said North.

“As a man, I don’t think you will get any better in the world. He is very loyal and a warrior through and through.

“To see someone struck down like that playing some unbelievable rugby is devastating. To see it first hand and experience it with him, not the whole impact obviously, is sad.

“The support the boys at Northampton have shown, and the rugby community as a whole with the game at Twickenham (against Leicester on October 6) they are doing for him, is amazing. “Rob is a very proud man and even he said he was taken aback by the amount of support he has had. He is back in Australia now with his family so he has that support around him.

“But I hope he knows there are lots of people back here who have still got his back. “It makes you re-evaluate what you want to do, how you want to do it and play knowing any game can be your last.

“That time off in the summer gave me that chance to take a step back, refocus and reset and hopefully do something special with the

Ospreys this season.”

As to why he joined the Ospreys rather than head back to PRO14 big guns Scarlets or join Cardiff Blues or the Dragons, North answered: “A number of reasons.

“There was a little bit of history. I broke through when the fab four were playing for the Ospreys: Mike Phillips, Shane Williams, Lee Byrne and James Hook.

“As a young boy looking at that it was something I thought was amazing. For me to be a part of that (join the Ospreys) was huge.

“From a rugby point of view, if you look at the squad it is great, who we have brought in and signed is only going to strengthen that team.

“That excited me and then there is the coaching staff. I spoke to a lot of people about Clarkey (head honcho Allen Clarke) and they described him as a steely Ulsterman.

“That is what you get and someone who is very passionate about their work, dedicated and wants the best from everyone.

“You have someone like Jockey (exBlues backs coach Matt Sherratt) coming in as well who I have worked with before with Wales, Brad Davis (defence) is here working with Shaun Edwards so it’s exciting the platform we can push off.

“From a backline point of view you’ve got Scott, Al (Davies), myself, Leslie Klim (Namibia international) has come in and it is exciting to have a wing like that, and there’s a young back three, including Tom Williams.

“These young players are hungry and it drives them, it drives me and it drives the whole squad to get the best out of us.

“That’s why I picked the Ospreys. The potential is there. Last season is what it is, we went through a similar thing at Northampton.

“There were glimpses towards the end of last season and what we have promised in pre-season is really exciting.”

North has a charity motorcycle event on September 30 in Cardiff. It’s called the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride and is held worldwide on an annual basis.

“I thought it would be good to do something different outside of rugby. Twenty thousand have signed up worldwide to do the ride.”

To make a donation, go to www. gentlemansride.com/fundraiser/ GeorgeNorth213725