Video: Gatland reopens North debate at Northampton

Warren Gatland has reopened the debate over George North’s club future at Northampton.

Northampton’s Director of Rugby Alan Gaffney suggested recently that the Welsh winger was unwilling to play against Sale.

The Wales coach felt there was a danger that North’s contract could be ended by the English Premiership club.

“He took a lot of criticism, you start to worry a bit, don’t you? What’s going to happen? Are Northampton going to terminate my contract, am I going to have a job next week or what’s going to happen?”

“My role is to support the players as much as I can and I was just sending him a message to say ‘if something does happen, we are here to support you’. That’s the message to George.”

“I know he has thoroughly enjoyed his time at Northampton. He has always been extremely positive about Northampton as a club and the fans and the stadium and having lived up there.”

North scored two tries in Wales’ 38-14 win over Italy, his first international start for nearly a year and Gatland feels his words of comfort had the desired effect.

“I just thought it was part of my job to put the player at ease so that his mind was taken off that, if something did spiral out of control. He needed to have that reassurance that we were there to support him.”

Meanwhile the New Zealand has explained his reasons for substituting Liam Williams following his yellow card against Italy.

He described the Saracen’s man as an “emotional player” and the change was “about sending a subtle message”.

“I thought the yellow card was fair. We had no problems with the yellow card. So whether he gets cited as a result of that. I was disappointed, I didn’t think he was going to make the tackle, that he needed to go that high. It was our penalty, we could have come back for a penalty.”

“The thing about Liam is he’s such an emotional player and that’s what brings the best out of him and wouldn’t afford potentially with that time on the clock for something else to happen. Another yellow card and a red card and put ourselves under that sort of pressure and we just thought what happened with Gareth Davies, just putting your hand out and getting a yellow carded. If Liam potentially had done the same sort of thing it’s two yellow cards and a red card. So it was about sending a subtle message really.”

Conor O’Shea gets defensive over Italy’s progress