Wales are just one victory away from a first Grand Slam in seven years but flying winger George North is adamant they haven’t even hit their straps yet.
Heading into the final weekend, Wales know that victory over Ireland in Cardiff would see them lift the 2019 Guinness Six Nations trophy – giving them a first Championship title in six years and matching the 2005, 2008 and 2012 vintages by securing a Grand Slam.
North scored two tries in a battling second-half comeback win over France in Round One, before away victories over Italy and Scotland – and a home triumph over England – have put Warren Gatland’s men just one game away from perfection once more.
If they were to seal five wins from five, Wales would become the first country to claim four Grand Slams in the Six Nations era and worryingly for Ireland, North insists there is still a lot more to come from the hosts at Principality Stadium on Super Saturday.
“We’ve shown glimpses, but we haven’t really hit our straps yet,” said North. “For us, we know there is another level there.
“We have just got to make sure we are on one page in terms of consistency and get a good week’s prep in and then focus on Saturday.
“There is a good belief in the squad and a good vibe. We can dog games out when we need to.
“There is plenty to work on from our point of view from the Scotland game. There were too many handling errors and too many turnovers. We’ve got a big week of prep to put it right.”
Wales were once again forced to fight in Round Four, before eventually overcoming a resilient Scotland team 18-11 in Edinburgh.
Now all that’s left is a monumental showdown with last year’s Grand Slam winners Ireland – in what will be the final Championship game for both sides’ coaches, Gatland and Joe Schmidt – and North sees plenty of similarities between the teams.
“We had to focus hard on this [Scotland] game,” added North. “It could have been a big stumbling block for us and we just got away with it.
“Ireland are a quality team who have come to Cardiff before and done a job on us. We will debrief the Scotland game and we’ve only got a short turnaround, so it’s full steam ahead for Saturday now.
“I guess Ireland have had a similar sort of Championship to us. They’ve shown great glimpses, but also not had the consistency. They are still dogging it out. It makes the last game very interesting.”
