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George North made an immediate impact on his Barbarians debut as he scored a try with his first touch of the ball, just seconds after coming on to the field to face Wales.
The Welsh rugby legend, who announced his retirement from rugby in April, came on to play the final game of his glittering career at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday afternoon, lining up against the nation he made 121 appearances for after accepting an invitation to represent the world-famous invitational side.
He was brought onto the field in the 47th minute, with the 20,000-strong crowd inside the stadium – including his wife Becky – rising to their feet to applaud him as he entered proceedings. You can follow the Wales v Barbarians match live here.
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It took less than two minutes for North to make an impact, as the 34-year-old rolled back the years to power through the Welsh defence and score the Baa Baa’s second try of the afternoon.
Off the back of a scrum, the ball made its way through the hands of the invitational side’s back line, with Harry Plummer’s looping pass finding North on the right wing.
Bringing the ball under control, the Wales centurion powered through tackle attempts from Dan Edwards and Ellis Mee, sending the latter crashing to the ground as he steamrolled his way over the line to make it 10-19.
As he was mobbed by his Barbarians teammates, the stadium united once again in applause for North, with Wales fans also showing their appreciation for one of their nation’s modern greats.
The wing wasn’t done there, however, as he crossed for a second try on 70 minutes, running it in under the posts after the Baa Baas found an overlap on the right.
North had said ahead of the match that while he was “creaking”, he still felt able to compete and had decided to end his career on his own terms rather than having it taken away from him through injury.
“I still feel good, I can still compete, but I’m starting to creak,” he told RugbyPass ahead of the weekend.
“Mentally I’m in a good spot. But I’m 34 now, I turned professional at 17 and I’ve been on the go ever since. With my young family, I’ve had enough time missing things that were important.”
On accepting the invitation to represent the Baa Baas, North said: “It’s always been a dream of mine to play for the Barbarians so to be invited now, for a game at Twickenham, against Wales is just incredible.
“I have been so privileged to enjoy the career that I have had, and I have so many unforgettable memories from Wales and friendships to last a lifetime.
“So to go out against my country, with some of my friends and teammates playing is so special.”
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