Wales legend George North has announced that he is set to retire from professional rugby at the end of the 2025/26 season.

North, 34, played his last game for Wales in 2024, having won 121 caps.

The wing-turned-centre ended his international career with 47 tries – only behind Shane Williams in Wales’ all-time top try scoring list.

North toured Australia and New Zealand for the British and Irish Lions in 2013 and 2017 respectively, and was a major part of the series win Down Under.

Born in England but raised as a Welsh speaker in Anglesey, North’s rugby career started at the Scarlets, playing just six senior games before being called up by Wales in 2010.

Following a stellar start in red, North won the Grand Slam in 2012 and Six Nations Championship in 2013, leading to him being picked for the Lions.

North provided two of the most memorable parts of the series, scoring the first Lions try vs Australia; a run from inside his own 10-metre line beating four players.

In the second test, his ‘fireman lift’ of Israel Folau while carrying the ball quickly went down in Lions folklore.

In the deciding match, North score his second try of the series as the Lions thrashed Australia 41-16 to secure a series victory.

North would tour with the Lions again in 2017, but not appear in the test series, while an ACL tear saw him ruled out of the 2021 tour of South Africa.

At club level, the 2013 series saw great interest in North’s services, especially from the big French clubs.

North eventually decided to sign for English Premiership side Northampton Saints, where he played for five seasons, winning the Premiership and European Challenge Cup titles in his first season at the club.

In 2018, he moved back to Wales to play for the Ospreys where he continued his shift towards outside centre.

During December 2023, North confirmed he would be leaving the Swansea Ospreys after the conclusion of the 2024 season, and would be playing rugby in the south of France for the second division team, Provence Rugby, after signing a two-year contract with the club.

Unfortunately he ruptured his Achilles in his final match for Wales against Italy in the Six Nations, and he did not play competitive rugby until January 2025, when he won his debut for Provence in the second tier of French rugby.

“I want to let you know that at the end of the season, I will be retiring. For me, it’s the right time,” North said in a video on social media.

“I have been able to live out my childhood dream for many seasons, playing with some of the best players, coaches and staff behind [the scenes].

“I can’t thank my family, my friends and you guys enough for the support you have shown me over the years. Honestly, it’s meant the world to me.”

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