George North snubs Warren Gatland’s request by staying on with Northampton

The British & Irish Lions Test wing has not heeded the Wales coach's call and will stay on at Franklin's Gardens

George North, the Wales wing (left), has signed a contract extension with Northampton (Getty Images)

Warren Gatland, the Wales coach, has made it abundantly clear that he wants to see his best talent living and playing on home soil, but the message is not getting through to everyone. George North, a British & Irish Lions Test wing and one of the biggest draws in the European game, confirmed yesterday that he will stay in the English Premiership with Northampton rather than recross the Severn Bridge in an effort to safeguard his international career.

North has signed a contract extension that will keep him at Franklin’s Gardens well past the 2017 Lions series in New Zealand. With the high-calibre inside centre Jamie Roberts splitting his time between Cambridge University and Harlequins, the outside-half Rhys Priestland and the lock Luke Charteris throwing in their lot with Bath, the No 8 Toby Faletau expected to leave Newport-Gwent Dragons for somewhere flashier the moment his current deal expires at season’s end and the magnificent second-rower Alun Wyn Jones being linked with a move to Toulon, there is no obvious sign of the Welsh Rugby Union bringing meaningful pressure to bear.

There have been a couple of successes from the governing body’s perspective: the blind-side Dan Lydiate, unhappy at the Parisian club Racing Métro, is now playing in Swansea for Ospreys; the centre Jonathan Davies, ruled out of the recent World Cup by injury and sorely missed by Gatland, will rejoin the Llanelli-based Scarlets from another French powerhouse club, Clermont Auvergne, at the close of the current campaign.

However, the riches on offer outside Wales are continuing to impact on WRU policy, and it is no coincidence that Lyn Jones, the Dragons’ rugby director, has been making some pointed remarks about the perils of exile. “Lots of people have had a look over the wall to see if the grass is greener,” he said, “but if you are over in France, you’re just a piece of meat. We need to look after our better players in Wales, but those players need to understand that they will be looked after here.”

Northampton, who host Gloucester in a Premiership match tonight, are still without the hooker Dylan Hartley, who has not featured since taking a blow on the head almost three weeks ago. The England flanker Tom Wood will lead the side, while the West Countrymen welcome back the World Cup wing Jonny May to their starting line-up.

Meanwhile, the former red-rose playmaker Charlie Hodgson has decided to retire at the end of the season. The 35-year-old Saracens outside-half, whose 2,486 Premiership points make him the heaviest scorer in the tournament’s history, will stay with the English champions as head of recruitment and talent identification.

“It was a tough call to make because being a rugby player is the only thing I’ve known in my working life,” he said. “In one sense my career seems to have lasted a lifetime; in another sense it’s flown by. It’s a weight off my shoulders to have sorted out my future.”