North deserves his farewell given that he will go down as one of Wales’ modern-day greats.
From the moment he scored two tries on his international debut as an 18-year-old in 2010, against South Africa who had star wing Bryan Habana in his pomp, North was a force on the international stage for more than a decade.
As well as his Wales exploits, he toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2013 and 2017, playing three Tests and scoring two brilliant tries in the series win against Australia.
After club stints with Scarlets, Northampton Saints and Ospreys, he has spent the past two seasons playing for Provence, in the highly competitive second tier of French rugby.
Now North says he is coming to terms with the prospect of retirement.
“It’s basically been the biggest chunk of my life that I have loved and cherished,” said North.
“It’s taken a lot out of me, but given me more than I could ever ask. The opportunities, the people, the friendships, the honour that it’s given me and my family.
“It was the best part of me for a very long time and now my wife [Becky] and children are clearly the best part of me.
“I think I am in a good spot now. When I have a proper stop, I’m sure there’ll be stuff to work through then. A lot of my mates that are retired say it takes time.
“You will realise that you wake up and you don’t have to put yourself in a hole when you go training. You can just train to keep the beer off or you can just train socially rather than going every day.”
North says he has been “overwhelmed” by the messages he has received since he announced he was finishing.
“It turns out I’m not a half-bad bloke and maybe did a half-decent job on the field,” said North.
“It’s been such an honour and privilege for me to to play for Wales and to have the career I have had. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
So how would North like to be remembered?
“It’s a weird question,” he said.
“I’d like to be remembered as someone that gave his all, loved every second and did it with a smile.”
