Wales star North on course for Six Nations opener despite surgery

Wales star George North could still be involved in their opening match of the Six Nations despite undergoing surgery for a cheekbone injury, according to club boss Toby Booth.

North was hurt during the Ospreys’ Champions Cup defeat by Leicester last weekend, going off at half-time.

But Ospreys coach Booth, said Thursday that North, who made his name as wing but is now often deployed as a centre by both club and country, “will be good within a two to three-week period”.

That was an encouraging message for Warren Gatland, whose first game in his second stint as Wales coach is a Six Nations clash against Ireland in Cardiff on February 4.

The 30-year-old North, capped 109 times by Wales, started in all four of the national side’s recent Autumn Nations Series matches.

“It a cheekbone and he’s okay,” said Booth of the surgery that North had Wednesday. “All has gone well.

“He will be good within a two to three-week period. Any facial injury is always a worry, but he is all good.”

Booth added: “I have seen him this week and he has got a nice shiny black eye.

“Outside of that, he’s quite buoyant, so that probably speaks volumes about how he feels.”

North will miss Ospreys’ Champions Cup pool match against Montpellier on Saturday and is also set to be absent from the United Rugby Championship matches against Welsh rivals the Scarlets and Cardiff.