George North says 'exciting times ahead' as he quits Welsh rugby for move to France

The centre has played for Ospreys for five years, having moved back to Wales in 2018. Credit: PA Images

George North is leaving Welsh rugby to join French second-division side Provence on a two-year deal.

The move sees North leave Ospreys after five years at the club.

The Wales centre announced the move on X, formerly Twitter, in a video message to fans of the club. He said: "Bonjour. Ça va. I hope everyone is well.

"I just want to send a quick message to say how excited myself and my family are about joining Provence Rugby next season."

He added: "I look forward to coming down, meeting everyone and starting an amazing journey together.

"À bientôt a Maurice David allez les noirs!"

Provence shared the video message on their social media, welcoming North to the side saying "Bienvenue Provence @George_North!". North reshared the post and said: "Exciting times ahead."

North is part of an elite club, having represented Wales more than 100 times. He was only the sixth person to achieve the feat, and aged just 28 at the time became the youngest player ever to bring up the milestone.

Having been on the international scene for more than a decade, his debut in 2010 against South Africa made him the third youngest player in history to pull on the Wales jersey.

18 years old at the time, he became the youngest ever try scorer for Wales in the same game - beating a record set in 1891.

George North (right) has scored the third highest number of tries for Wales behind only Shane Williams (left) and Gareth Thomas (centre). Credit: PA Images

As if that was not achievement enough, he is also Wales' third highest try scorer of all time - only Shane Williams and Gareth Thomas have more, with 58 and 40 tries respectively.

Now aged 31, he still wants to play for Wales in the future despite the move to France. His 118 caps to date mean he has no problem with eligibility under the WRU's rules on playing abroad.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…