It was 2013 and Wales needed something big. Warren Gatland’s side had entered the Championship chasing back-to-back Six Nations crowns; a home defeat to Ireland meant their hopes had already taken a hit. The second round saw Wales travel to Paris with their tournament at a turning point. They had not won in France since 2005, and any hope of a title challenge would be over if that run continued.
Nine minutes to play, the scoreboard read six apiece. It had been tight, it had been tense; Frederic Michalak hit twice from the tee, while Leigh Halfpenny provided his own accurate answers. It was time for a hero; George North stepped up.
Dan Biggar’s chip looked aimless, France were on the outside and Francois Trinh-Duc raced across the backfield. But Biggar’s pitch beat nicely on the soft surface of Stade de France – North had a glimpse.
It was little more than that. Trinh-Duc arrived on pace as North slid into his group and brought man and ball just over a meter from the touchline. The replacement fly half’s technique looked good: feet pumping, waist aimed, arms around each other, North’s boots flying out towards touch – but North almost got it done.
Wales went on to a second straight title, while England sealed an unlikely victory with a record winning margin on the final weekend. Gatland’s giants had done it again and reaffirmed their place at the top of the Northern Hemisphere pecking order.
Eleven years later, a first Six Nations wooden spoon since 2003 beckons as North prepares to say goodbye. Wales need to beat Italy on Saturday to have any hope of avoiding the ignominy of bottom place in the Championship, and even a win may not be enough. How the mighty have fallen.
North, who will retire from international rugby at the end of the season as he prepares to move to Provence, is the latest, and perhaps last, of that group of 2013 gods to step away. Welsh rugby has had many gods, but perhaps never such a golden generation.
Sam Warbuton left early, injuries took their toll, and Jamie Roberts crashed out in 2017. Justin Tipuric and Alun Wyn Jones hung on for the last World Cup cycle but were dumped last summer; Jonathan Davies still drives in his own country, but can certainly no longer be recalled. Deadeye Halfpenny and Biggar made it to the fall tournament but no further, while Ken Owens may not return from the back injury that hampered his chances.
Taulupe Faletau may continue his Test swan song in the summer, but this feels like the end of an era. North represents the last of the immortals, a wing of extraordinary strength, speed and skill who has recently been reinvented as a high-quality glueman in midfield. He sits comfortably as the most experienced player in a quiet Welsh side going into battle against the Azzuri. His 120 caps are more than double the next highest number among his teammates.
“It’s not a complete surprise to me because we’d had a few conversations before,” Gatland said of the 31-year-old’s retirement decision. “He was talking about when was the right time to retire. He has been playing international rugby since he was 18 and has been doing so for a long time.
“We would have liked him to still be involved, but the conversation with him was that he didn’t want to keep playing for the next few years and potentially leave us in a hole 12 months after a World Cup. It means there’s another opportunity comes for someone else.”
The youth movement in Wales continues apace and successors to North are beginning to emerge. Joe Roberts’ performance against France last week was promising, while Mason Grady has been shaped into similarly muscular form. They will join Dafydd Jenkins, Sam Costelow and Cameron Winnett in their efforts to take the team forward – but it will certainly take pain to come first.
Although unthinkable a decade ago, a wooden spoon can be an accurate reflection of where Wales is. Familiar stories of infighting reared their ugly heads during this tournament, with Gatland and coaches from the four United Rugby Championship teams trading blows, while the domestic battle looks set to worsen next season, with more talent drained away. Gatland strongly hinted this week that North would have stayed in Wales if an offer had been put on the table; that it didn’t is a testament to where the Welsh union is financially.
Tomos Williams and Gareth Anscombe, perhaps still Wales’ best pair of halfbacks, will be guiding Gloucester around next season rather than a team across the Severn, which may be positive for their games but not for Gatland’s attempts at cohesion and continuity to build. Dafydd Jenkins, who has impressed as a tireless captain during the tough times of this tournament, was forced to make his first professional appearance as a flanker last week with Wales lacking the size and strength in the back row. Six props have made their debuts since last August – Scarlets tighthead Harri O’Connor is the latest this weekend – and hooker Evan Lloyd has made his Test debut ahead of his first senior start.
It is a catalog of concerns that will take their toll on a young group, although there is also clear promise. Wales has shown during this campaign that the raw tools are there to build something substantial. A win over Italy could create a base from which they can start climbing well. But it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if the Azzurri were to repeat the magic of two years ago, securing a win and opening a yawning gap between fifth and sixth places in this year’s competition.
Gatland has preached patience to a receptive choir of support that recognizes the problems in the background. But North’s departure is a reminder of the heady heights to which Wales once rose – it’s certainly not good enough to simply shrug and accept a wooden spoon.