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George North has hung up his boots following a stellar career for clubs and country
Wales international George North has announced his retirement from rugby.
The 34 year-old hangs up his boots following 121 caps for Wales and two tours with the British & Irish Lions, in 2013 and 2017 respectively, scoring a try against the Wallabies which has gone down in Lions folklore.
At club level, North represented the Scarlets, Northampton Saints and Ospreys with distinction.
He broke onto the international stage at a young age, making his Wales bow at 18 – becoming the youngest player ever to score a try on his debut for Wales.
His form for Scarlets earned him a move to Franklin’s Gardens, where he stayed for five years before returning back to Wales with the Ospreys.
For the past two seasons he has been playing in France with Provence, having retired from Test rugby in 2024. His move to the Pro D2 side was delayed by a serious Achilles injury he sustained on his final outing for Wales.
“Hi guys, just wanted to come on here and let you know at the end of the season I’ll be retiring,” he said in a social media post on Wednesday morning.
“For me, it’s the right time. I’ve been able to live out my childhood dream for many seasons, playing with some of the best players, coaches and the staff behind.
“I can’t thank my family, my friends and you guys enough for the support you’ve shown me over the years.
“Honestly, it’s meant the world to me.
“The next chapter? Yeah, still working on that one but I’m excited to see where that journey takes me.
“So again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you and diolch.”
North will go down as a Wales legend for his heroics in the red shirt and is often used as the yardstick for emerging talent in the game. Only last weekend, Sam Warburton compared rising star Noah Caluori to North, such has been his impact.
North is married to Olympic cyclist Becky James and the two share two children.
“The love for the rugby here [is huge], especially in Provence,” he explained about his time in France on the Beyond the Breakdown podcast.
“That’s why the name has changed a few times. It was just Aix Rugby, then it was Aix-en-Provence Rugby, now it’s Provence Rugby because they want to incorporate the whole region.
“You see it on on match days, they do it incredibly well, the fan base. All the home games now are sold out, like Thursday night, 9pm, sold out. It’s incredible. the atmosphere, live band, you can get fresh seafood in the corner with rosé. It’s unreal. It’s very French, but it’s incredible, the atmosphere and the following it has.
“For me, this move was about the experience, about experiencing French rugby and trying to help Provence on their journey to the Top 14,” he added. “It was a big draw for me, Becks and the boys as an experience.”
