George North is looking forward to the day his children face the big choice: cycling or rugby.
North is also looking forward to the Six Nations Championship, starting this weekend, when Wales begin their title defence against Ireland in Dublin.
There is an awful lot for this 29-year-old to be looking forward to, now that his injury hell has passed.
For now, North is enjoying the freedom of being able to run again, after suffering an anterior crucial ligament (ACL) injury in his right knee last April, playing for the Ospreys.
It ended his year on the rugby pitch, ruining hopes of a starring role for the British and Irish Lions in South Africa and denying him a shot at the Springboks, Australia and New Zealand in the autumn internationals.
North would sooner have been healthy and active of course, but being sidelined has had its upsides. He and his wife, double Olympic cyclist silver medallist Becky James, welcomed their second son, Tomi, a brother for Jac, in October.
Rather than dividing his time between the family and Wales camps, North has been essentially a stay-at-home dad for months on end.
"It's been brilliant. Normally I'm away playing or touring or something," says North, who is a Land Rover ambassador.
"To have this time at home, it's priceless. But Becky's been a superstar. When I had my surgery to start with, I couldn't do much on crutches with Jac, and obviously Tomi's joined us now and he's class.
"I'm in that stage now where effectively I'm in pre-season again, and I'm absolutely battered when I come home from training. And I'm not much use to anyone, but she's been amazing through this whole process.
"It has been tough, but it's been amazing you know, the two boys are amazing. Thank goodness for Becky, because it'd have been a lot harder at one point, with one leg up and hopping around the place. Especially my surgery, it was very tough. But yeah, she's a superhero."
Wales have been Six Nations champions four times in the last 10 years. Despite being holders, however, few are giving them much of a chance this time around.
After all, Wales have been up and down with results in the tournament. Across the last five years, they have trailed in fifth twice, as well as clinching a couple of championships, including the 2019 grand slam.
This time, they head into the tournament without a clutch of key players: North is absent, but so too is captain Alun Wyn Jones, with Taulupe Faletau, Leigh Halfpenny, Josh Navidi, Ken Owens and Justin Tipuric also sidelined.
Head coach Wayne Pivac said his squad has lost around 680 caps' worth of experience, but Wales should still be no mugs.
The players Pivac has chosen for the tournament come with an average of 27.1 Test caps of experience, only topped by Ireland's 30.9 among the six teams.
Those that are missing are proven class, however. In last year's championship, Faletau had 66 carries, putting him in third place among all players, while Tipuric made the most tackles (82). Faletau was fourth on that list (74), and skipper Jones was sixth (72).
On the Six Nations all-time list, North, who has featured on the wing and at outside centre, ranks fourth for metres gained (2,548), third for defenders beaten (126), and third for most clean breaks (48).
Jones is top of the all-time tackles chart (719), with fly-half Dan Biggar a different animal to the absent lock. Biggar sits second on the Six Nations' all-time try assists list, after setting up 17 five-pointers in the competition.
To lose a raft of proven top-level talent would hurt any team, and North is not blind to that. He has been in and around the Wales squad since his late teens, however, so is certain there will be no defeatist attitude in Pivac's camp.
"Obviously there are a number of players out missing, and I think Wayne's come out with a stat of something like 680 caps that he's lost," says North. "That's a tough place to be."
But can Wales kick on regardless? North says so.
"Well, that that's the only way you get better, isn't it? By pushing the standards up every time," North tells Stats Perform News.
"I think for us, as Wales, we're used to being the underdogs, and we're always used to being kind of like always wanting more, and I think that shows in the performances that we have and the results we have had of late.
"From the lads' point of view, that's something they will certainly be looking at: how they push on from last year. Obviously winning the championship [is one thing], but you know the next step is backing it up again and as we said, it's going to be incredibly tough for the boys."
In the 2021 Six Nations, Wales made the most tackles of all teams (871), were third for tackle success with a healthy 88.2 per cent record, ranked second for lineout success with 90.8 per cent, and matched France for the most scrum success with 96.2 per cent.
Pivac's side averaged 3.7 points per entry into the opposition 22, making them the only side to average over three points per entry. It is a hard act to follow.
The loss of veteran skipper Jones gives 32-year-old playmaker Biggar the opportunity to lead the team into the championship.
"Yeah, it's not easy following the most capped player in the world is it!" North says. "I wouldn't like to follow Alun Wyn, put it that way.
"But what you're getting with Dan is a fierce competitor who drives the squad from the front row, right the way back all the way through to the full-back.
"He expects high standards of everyone, and he expects those standards of himself. I'm excited to see Dan as captain because what you see on the field is a fierce competitor. And that's not just on the field, that's Monday to Friday, and that's in whatever jersey he is.
"He expects the best for himself, and also the best from others because you know he is a competitor and wants to win."
North has the most international tries of all current players in the world game, and he has spoken of hoping to be available to Pivac at the back end of the championship. Wales have home games against France and Italy on March 11 and 19 to finish the campaign.
He longs to make his children proud, even though both are much too young to understand his day job, or to understand their mother was a world champion.
From the routines of parenthood to the cauldron of the Principality Stadium, North is focused on pulling out all the stops. Jac and Tomi are keeping him grounded but also fuelling his ambitions.
"Obviously they don't know what Dad does. They don't know what Mum used to do," he says. "And I think that's something that's special.
"I am looking forward to the day that I'd be able to play and Becky can bring the boys to watch. I'm incredibly proud and honoured to be able to play rugby, but to be able to share that with the boys and, you know, show them more. Whatever they want to do in the future, there's always that conversation, is it a bike or a rugby ball?"
North, who during last year's Six Nations became the youngest player to reach 100 caps for any country, is targeting the 2023 Rugby World Cup as a long-range goal.
That could add up to over two months away from home, and given he will be 31 by the time that tournament comes around, it might be a last shot at global glory.
"I've got a fair few steps to cross off before we get back in any jersey. Certainly it's something I want to be able to put my hand up and be fighting for my selection there," he says.
"I've been very fortunate to go to a few now, and you know that's a big push. It's not too far away, and it's something that is certainly exciting."
There he goes again, always looking forward.
:: George North is a Land Rover ambassador. Visit landrover.co.uk
The Numbers Game: Manchester derby bragging rights up for grabs
Manchester City losing is becoming a regular occurrence, and for the seventh time in the space of 10 matches, Pep Guardiola's side tasted defeat as they went down 2-0 to Juventus on Wednesday.
City looked jaded as they attempted to drag themselves back into contention in Turin, where Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie did the damage for Juve.
Next up is the Manchester derby on Sunday, with Manchester United making the short trip across town to the Etihad Stadium.
After suffering successive league defeats, and sporting director Dan Ashworth's unexpected departure, United claimed a morale-boosting 2-1 comeback win over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League with Rasmus Hojlund the hero on Thursday.
But this derby is one featuring two teams out of sorts and in desperate need of a Premier League win.
What's expected?
For all their failings as of late, City are still predicted to come out on top.
Pep Guardiola's team won 57% of the data-led simulations run by Opta's supercomputer, which hands United a 22.2% win probability. There is a 20.8% chance of a draw.
According to the same model, City have only a 3.8% chance of retaining the title. The supercomputer is also predicting a bottom-half finish for United, who are 13th heading into the weekend. That's how bad this season is turning out to be for these teams.
United have lost 20 Premier League games against City – only against Arsenal (21) have they lost more in the competition.
The Red Devils have lost each of their last three Premier League away games against City, conceding 13 goals in the process. They last lost four consecutive league visits to their neighbours between 1952 and 1955.
City have won five of their last six Premier League games against United (L1), more than they had in their previous 13 (W4 D3 L6).
However, United beat City in the FA Cup final last season, in the game that handed Erik ten Hag a stay of execution.
More leaks than a tap
For all City's scintillating attacking play under Guardiola, their success has also been built on solid defensive foundations. But that solidity has abandoned them since their poor run began at the end of October.
City have conceded at least twice in seven of their last 11 Premier League games (W4 D3 L4), as many times as they had in their previous 62 in the competition.
Only three teams (Southampton, Chelsea and Ipswich Town) have made more errors leading to shots this season than City in the Premier League, while their 21.6 expected goals against (xGA) ranks 10th in the competition and is higher than the likes of Bournemouth, Fulham and Everton.
Ruben Dias' absence has not helped. City have lost all three league games that he has missed this season, whereas they have lost just one of the 12 matches in which he has played, winning eight of them (66.7%).
With the Portugal international in the team, their average goals against per game is 1.1. Without Dias, City have conceded 2.7 goals per game on average.
Dias is not as important as Rodri clearly is, but having him back should help, albeit it did not do too much good against Juve.
Amorim's good omens?
The last time United lost three league matches in a row within a single season in December 2015 under Louis van Gaal.
New boss Ruben Amorim is yet to lose three on the bounce in his top-flight managerial career, with this his 172nd such match.
Amorim has, of course, already defeated City this season, with his Sporting CP team running out 4-1 victors in the Champions League in November, not long after the Portuguese had been confirmed as United's new boss.
Only one manager has beaten the reigning Premier League champions with two different sides in a single campaign, with Alan Pardew beating Man City with both Newcastle United and Crystal Palace in 2014-15.
One area Amorim needs to patch up is United's set-piece defending. They were vulnerable from such situations in their defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, and City will surely look to target that frailty.
Indeed, 39% of the goals United have conceded in the Premier League this season have come from corner situations (7/18), the highest share in the division. So far in 2024, they have conceded 15 goals from corners, just three fewer than they did in 2021 (eight), 2022 (four) and 2023 (six) combined.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Manchester City - Erling Haaland
Haaland has nine goal involvements in just four Premier League appearances against United (six goals, three assists).
It is already the most goal involvements any City player has against the Red Devils in the competition.
Manchester United - Bruno Fernandes
After registering just two goal involvements (two assists) in his nine Premier League games under Ten Hag this season, Fernandes has had a hand in six in his last six following the Dutchman’s departure (three goals, three assists).
The Portuguese international has also been involved in five goals in his last six appearances against City in all competitions (two goals, two assists), providing an assist in each of the last three.
Women's Super League predictions: Leicester need Christmas miracle against rampant Chelsea
This weekend marks the final Women's Super League matchday before the winter break.
Chelsea will look to cement their perfect start at the top of the table when they visit Leicester City on Saturday, having won all 14 of their matches under Sonia Bompastor in all competitions.
The Blues already lead Manchester City by five points, and Gareth Taylor's challengers could find themselves further adrift by the time they visit Everton on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Arsenal will defend their unbeaten record under interim coach Renee Slegers at Liverpool, while bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace host Manchester United.
Surprise package Brighton and Hove Albion, meanwhile, will attempt to bounce back from a 4-2 loss to Chelsea when they welcome Tottenham to Broadfield Stadium.
But who will come out on top in this weekend's matches? We turned to the trusty Opta supercomputer to get its matchday 10 predictions.
LEICESTER V CHELSEA
Bompastor has already made the best start by any WSL coach in the competition's history, and Chelsea could become the first team to ever win their first 10 games of a season when they visit Leicester for Saturday's early kick-off at the King Power Stadium.
Chelsea have got an exceptional record against the Foxes, who have lost each of the teams' previous six WSL meetings, averaging over six goals conceded per game across the last five (32 conceded – 6.4 per game).
With Chelsea already netting 30 times in nine games, there could be goals, goals and more goals in this one. Leicester should be particularly wary of Aggie Beever-Jones, who has now scored 17 goals in the WSL – only Lauren Hemp (31), Georgia Stanway (29) and Beth Mead (18) have netted more in the competition before turning 22.
Chelsea have made a habit of starting strongly this term, opening the scoring in all nine of their WSL matches. They have won 43 of their last 44 league games after going 1-0 up, the exception being a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool in May.
The Foxes have struggled in front of goal this season, failing to score in more games than any other team in the WSL (seven). Only one team has ever scored fewer goals through nine matches of a WSL campaign than the Foxes’ two this term (Yeovil Town, 0 in 2017-18).
Chelsea are overwhelming favourites for this one and the Opta Supercomputer gives them 83.1% chance of victory, with 9.3% of match simulations ending level. Leicester may need a Christmas miracle to earn three points, being assigned just a 7.6% win probability.
BRIGHTON V TOTTENHAM
Brighton will look to get back to winning ways after putting up a valiant effort against Chelsea in their last league game. The Seagulls will also want to remain among the chasing pack and a win would lift them to third ahead of Sunday's matches.
However, Brighton have failed to win any of their last five WSL meetings with Tottenham (two draws, three losses), since a 2-1 home win in October 2021 under Hope Powell.
They have enjoyed a terrific start to the season, though, particularly at home. Brighton are unbeaten on their own turf in the WSL in 2024-25, winning four of their five matches (one draw) – as many wins as they recorded in their previous 25 such games (four draws, 17 defeats).
There could be drama in this one as nine of the total 13 penalties awarded in the WSL this term have come in games involving either Brighton (two for, two against) or Spurs (two for, three against). Both sides, meanwhile, boast plenty of attacking ammunition.
Kiko Seike is Brighton’s leading scorer in the WSL this season, netting five times from just 15 shots to register the best conversion rate of any player to net three or more times (33%).
Meanwhile, only Mead and Khadija Shaw (eight apiece) have scored more WSL goals against Brighton than Spurs’ Beth England (seven), who is now just three goals away from levelling Vivianne Miedema at the top of the all-time WSL scoring charts.
The Opta supercomputer makes Brighton slight favourites with a 43.1% win probability, with Spurs given a 30.2% chance and 26.7% of simulations finishing all square.
EVERTON V MAN CITY
Merseyside is a very happy hunting ground for Manchester City and they will be looking forward to travelling to Walton Hall Park for Sunday's first match.
City have won more away WSL games against Everton (eight) than any other team, while they have only netted more times on the road against Brighton and Bristol City (both 25) than versus the Toffees (24).
The Citizens are firm favourites with the supercomputer, winning 73.8% of match simulations to Everton's 11.5%, with 14.5% finishing level.
Everton’s only league win this season came in their most recent home game against Liverpool; they could now win back-to-back home WSL matches for the first time since January 2023.
City, meanwhile, have dropped points in two of their last four away games (2-2 versus Arsenal, 0-2 versus Chelsea) after winning 10 of their previous 11 such matches.
Everton will have to deal with current Golden Boot frontrunner 'Bunny' Shaw, who has scored nine goals so far this term. Five of those strikes have come via her head, and she has more such goals in total (24) than any other player in WSL history.
ASTON VILLA V WEST HAM
Aston Villa will welcome West Ham to Villa Park for a clash between two sides hovering above the danger zone. Sunday's hosts sit ninth on six points, just two behind eighth-placed West Ham.
Villa picked up their first victory of the campaign in their last home game against Crystal Palace (3-2) and could now win back-to-back home games in the WSL for the first time. They have played the most home games in the competition without ever winning two in a row (48).
It should be a day to remember for Jordan Nobbs, as the WSL's all-time leading appearance-maker brings up 200 outings in the competition. She scored on her 100th outing in the WSL back in October 2018, representing Arsenal against Bristol City.
Villa are in need of results to ensure they are not dragged into the mire, and the supercomputer is backing them here, with a 53.2% win probability. West Ham are given a 22.8% chance of a victory and a 23.9% chance of taking a point.
CRYSTAL PALACE V MAN UTD
Sunday's slate of games also features the first league meeting between Palace and Manchester United since the 2018-19 Championship season, when the Red Devils trounced the Eagles 5-0 away and 7-0 at home.
Palace sit bottom of the table and are expected to remain there for Christmas, with the supercomputer only giving them a 13.6% chance of earning three points. United, meanwhile, are given a 69.6% chance of victory and a 16.8% probability of a draw.
United have a perfect record against newly promoted opposition in the WSL, winning all 10 such games while scoring 29 goals and only conceding once.
Marc Skinner's side claimed their biggest win of the season last weekend, winning 4-0 against Liverpool; each of the Red Devils’ last six league victories – and 12 of their last 14 – have been accompanied by a clean sheet.
Only Chelsea (nine times), Arsenal (seven) and United (six) have opened the scoring on more occasions in the WSL than Palace (five) this season, though the Eagles have dropped a league-high 10 points from winning positions – if they do find themselves ahead, the challenge will be holding on.
LIVERPOOL V ARSENAL
The final fixture of the weekend sees Arsenal visit Liverpool, having looked a team transformed since Slegers took the reins from Jonas Eidevall.
The Gunners have won their last three league games, last winning four in a row in the WSL in December 2023, when they enjoyed a run of seven victories.
In their five WSL games under Slegers to date, Arsenal have scored exactly once (v Man Utd), twice (v West Ham), three times (v Spurs), four times (v Aston Villa) and five times (v Brighton); the Gunners have not scored six times in a league match since beating Leicester 6-2 last November.
On the opposing bench, Matt Beard will not be looking forward to Arsenal's visit. He has lost 16 of his 20 previous WSL meetings with Arsenal (three wins, one draw), losing to the Gunners with each of his clubs – seven times with Liverpool, four with West Ham and Chelsea, once with Bristol City.
The main threat to Liverpool could be Alessia Russo, who endured a slow start to the season but has since scored in four straight WSL games. She could become just the sixth Arsenal player to net in five in a row, and the first since Mead in May 2022.
Arsenal are big favourites with a 63% chance of victory, while Liverpool are assigned just a 17.4% hope and a 19.6% chance of earning a draw.
Brewster sends Blades back to Championship summit as Watford deny Selles winning start
Sheffield United returned to the Championship summit after Rhian Brewster secured a 1-0 win over Millwall at The Den.
The former Liverpool striker scored his first goal in over two years, as the Blades leapfrogged Leeds United back to the top of the table.
Japhet Tanganga and George Saville both struck the woodwork for Millwall in what was Neil Harris' final home game in charge, but Brewster broke the deadlock just before the break.
Chris Wilder's side had to remain concentrated during the second half as the hosts pushed for the equaliser, but they held out for a crucial three points.
Elsewhere, Ruben Selles was unfortunate not to begin his tenure with bottom side Hull City in victorious fashion against Watford.
Chris Bedia broke the deadlock for the hosts in the 82nd minute, and it looked like it could be enough to give them their first win since early October.
However, Rocco Vata equalised for the visitors two minutes from time to prevent the Tigers from moving off the foot of the table and out of the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, West Bromwich Albion moved back into the top six as goals from Alex Mowatt and Karlan Grant secured a 2-0 win over Frank Lampard's Coventry City.
Queens Park Rangers and Preston North End both pulled clear of the relegation zone following 2-0 victories over Oxford United and Cardiff City respectively, and the Bluebirds remain in the bottom three due to their inferior goal difference.
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