George North to miss autumn internationals as Wales wing faces two months out with knee ligament injury

Northampton wing unlikely to recover in time for Wales' final autumn international on 2 December

George North will be ruled out for between six to eight weeks (Getty)

George North is likely to miss Wales' entire autumn international programme after a scan on his injured left knee revealed a sprain to his posterior cruciate ligament.

The Welsh wing limped out of Northampton Saints’ 57-13 defeat by Saracens on Sunday following a tackle from Brad Barritt, and an attempt to try and run off the injury led to the 25-year-old collapsing as soon as he tried to sprint.

Wales head coach Warren Gatland was optimistic on Monday that the injury was not as bad as first feared, and while the news is better than a ligament tear or rupture, North will still miss between six and eight weeks, ruling him out of the four-Test campaign that Wales have lined up in November and December.

The injury will not require surgery, but could take as much as two months’ rehab before North is fit to return to action, and with Wales’ final autumn international against South Africa scheduled for 2 December, the towering wing is unlikely to prove his fitness to Gatland in time to be in consideration for selection.

Given that Northampton play on the Friday night before that match against Newcastle Falcons in the Premiership, North is likely to target the European Champions Cup clash against Ospreys the following weekend on 9 December as a potential comeback.

With internationals lined up against Australia, New Zealand and the Springboks, as well as Georgia, the news is a blow for Wales coach Gatland, who has already endured a turbulent week following the release of the new Senior Players Selection Policy [SPSP] that will prevent any Welsh players based abroad with fewer than 60 caps to play for their country, which could yet lead to influential scrum-half Rhys Webb being left out of the squad this autumn.

It is also a major blow to Northampton, with Jim Mallinder’s side preparing for their daunting European trip to Clermont Auvergne this weekend following last weekend’s thrashing at the hands of the reigning champions. Opening their campaign with two defeats will all but end Saints’ hopes of reaching the quarter-finals, with Clermont having not lost at home at the Stade Marcel-Michelin since January 2016.

North attempted to run off the injury but collapsed immediately on the pitch (Getty)

North will also miss a number of important Premiership games over the next two months, including home ties with Wasps, Newcastle, reigning champions Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester, plus trips to Worcester Warriors and Sale Sharks.