More poignantly still, he will wonder why, after all those glory days of World Cups, Lions tours and Grand Slams, the gods sitting in conclave on Mount Olympus decreed that they would saddle him with a role from history as honourable as it was utterly hopeless.
In the best of all Welsh worlds, Boy George would have been granted one last stampede in a winning cause. Instead he found himself cast in a 21st century Six Nations version of The Boy On The Burning Deck.
Like the eponymous hero of the ageless poem inspired by the Battle of the Nile during the Anglo-French war of three centuries ago, North had been given early notice that his final voyage through the tempests of Test rugby was not going to end well. Truth to tell, it could hardly have been much worse.
The tears during the he shed anthem stemmed from patriotic pride and the knowledge that this would be the last time. All too soon, he would be confronted by another reality, that Wales were about to have the stuffing knocked out of them by superior opponents.
The latest in a distinguished list of retirees will not need to watch the nastiest of video nasties to be reminded of the exact moment when he and the rest of the crew sensed their stricken boat would finish up impaled on the rocks.
Italy had been cruising in such calm waters from the start that they had reason to feel shortchanged by nothing more than Paolo Garbisi's two penalties. Monty Ioane changed that, coming off his blindside wing to glide through a gap between North and another back in a defence pummelled into submission.
Bu hikaye The Rugby Paper dergisinin March 17, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Rugby Paper dergisinin March 17, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Minikin sparks a party at Twickenham for Yorkshire
EUPHORIC scenes swept round Ionians ground as Lewis Minikin dashed over to score Yorkshire's fourth try to send the white rose to Twickenham for the first time in 16 years.
Rebels facing tough test against 'Canes
SUPER Rugby Pacific play-off spots were confirmed this weekend, with the soon-to-be extinct Melbourne Rebels living to fight another day in eighth place.
Ospreys' Nicky just too tricky for Cardiff
LEICESTER-BOUND, Smith scored Nicky two tries as Ospreys squeezed into the playoffs with a bonus-point victory over a battling Cardiff in an enthralling game.
Quins want to throw fitting farewell party
HARLEQUINS stars Shaunagh Brown, Rachael Burford and Emily Scott start their final game for the club today.
Mapletoft set for Georgia challenge
ENGLAND U20s head coach Mark Mapletoft has confirmed his 30-player squad that travel to Georgia next week in preparation for next month's World Championship.
Gloucester put faith in 'some old heads'
IT was typical of Gloucester's season - make that the last couple that when they came up against a front five in last weekend's Challenge Cup final that contained four World Cup winners they were missing three frontline forwards.
Smith has final say for Saints
NORTHAMPTON Saints, having run teams ragged in glorious fashion all season, scrummaged and muscled their way to their first Premiership final since 2014 but a resilient Saracens contested the issue until the final whistle.
Finally! Bath hold nerve to see off Sharks
BATH are one victory away from winning the Premiership for the first time after surviving a Sale comeback, but they are likely to be underdogs against a Northampton that has been a couple more years in the making.
Chessum 'gutted' to miss out on England
OLLIE Chessum admits he is \"gutted\" to be missing out on a busy summer with England in the southern hemisphere.
Boyd got me back on track - Ludlam
LEWIS left the Ludlam Franklin's Gardens turf in a Northampton jersey for perhaps the last time on Friday night, six years after he thought about ending his career because he feared it was going nowhere.