George North will make his 50th international appearance, in record time, against France on Saturday, and will be looking to continue his purple patch against Les Bleus.

At just 22-years-old, North will become the youngest international player ever to reach the milestone – it will be his 47th cap for Wales, added to three for the British and Irish Lions.

The towering Northampton wing scored tries against France in each of the 2 previous matches and will be looking to continue that form as Wales seek a 4th straight win over Philippe Saint-Andre’s side.

North will make his comeback for Wales having sat out the 26 / 23 win over Scotland 2 weeks ago due to a pair of concussions suffered against England the week before.

“He is an exceptional player. George scored the last time we were out there in 2013 and last year in Cardiff when they messed up at the back in defence. So he has a pretty good try-scoring record, and hopefully it will continue on the weekend.

“It is a phenomenal record. If you think when we gave George his first cap back in 2010 against South Africa when he was just 18, and you look back at that performance at such a young age, he showed maturity on the wing and the number of touches he had, scoring 2 great tries.

“That’s the question we want to keep asking of George,” Wales assistant coach Rob Howley said.

It will be almost like a home away from home match for Wales, with 5 players in the starting line-up playing their club rugby in France.

Leigh Halfpenny is at European champions Toulon, Jonathan Davies plays for Clermont while Jamie Roberts, Mike Phillips and Luke Charteris all ply their trade with Racing-Metro in Paris.

Dan Lydiate, who will start at blindside flanker, also spent 18 months at Racing before returning home a couple of months ago.

“It is obviously a very useful tool to have when players are able to give you an insight,” Howley added.

France’s preparations have been disrupted by renewed claims about systematic doping in the sport in the 1980s.

Centre Remi Lamerat, who has been drafted into the midfield in place of the barrel-chested Mathieu Bastareaud, says the negative atmosphere surrounding the team is something they are used to, with criticism about their style of play particularly prevalent recently.

“Of course it affects us because we’d like everything to be great and perfect. The criticisms about our style of play are quite fair but we don’t come out too badly these days in comparison to the Irish and Welsh.

“I don’t really enjoy watching Wales, they have a very direct style and don’t play many passes. But it’s very French to criticise the national team, although sometimes I do understand the criticisms and people’s frustrations,” the Castres back said.

This is a must-win clash for both sides if they are to harbour hopes of winning the Six Nations.

Both have beaten Scotland but have a tasted defeat – Wales to England (16 / 21) and France against Ireland (11 / 18).

With England unbeaten ahead of their Sunday trip to Dublin to face the reigning champions, a second defeat would be all but fatal to either the Welsh or France’s title chances.

Wales have won the last 3, including a 16 / 6 victory in Paris 2 years ago, since losing the 2011 World Cup semi-final to Les Bleus.

North, who takes over from Alex Cuthbert, is 1 of 4 changes for the Welsh with hooker Scott Baldwin replacing Richard Hibbard and prop Samson Lee returning to the team following his concussion. Charteris also comes in.

Apart from Lamerat, France have made another 4 changes, 3 of them enforced due to injuries and Pascal Pape’s suspension.

Sofiane Guitoune (wing), Romain Taofifenua (lock), Morgan Parra (scrumhalf) and Brice Dulin (fullback) have all been picked.

Players to watch:

For France: Captain Thierry Dusautoir will be his physical self and marshal the troops from the back of the scrum. Camille Lopez will look to continue his fine form and run the show from pivot. Keep your eye on Wesley Fofana as well, as he poses a huge threat in midfield.

For Wales: George North will want to cap-off his 50th international Test with a stellar performance and a try or two. Jami Roberts has been in sublime form in the midfield and will be the go-to man to break the advantage line. The Welsh scrum is always a guarantee to provide them with excellent front-foot ball and an attacking set-piece option.

Head to head:

The biggest battle of them all will be the front rows and who will show their dominance. If the French decide to turn-up on the day, expect fireworks at scrum time. Thierry Dusautoir and Dan Lydiate are expected to have an epic battle at No.8 and would need to be at the top of their games to nullify the threat they impose. In the backline, Wesley Fofana would need to be on his toes to contain the threat of the powerful Jamie Roberts, who is Wales’ go-to player in the midfield if they need to break the defence line.

Recent results:

• 2014: Wales won 27 / 6, Cardiff
• 2013: Wales won 16 / 6, Paris
• 2012: Wales won 16 / 9, Cardiff
• 2011: France won 9 / 8, Auckland (WC semifinal)
• 2011: France won 28 / 9, Paris
• 2010: France won 26 / 20, Cardiff
• 2009: France won 21 / 16, Paris
• 2008: Wales won 29 / 12, Cardiff
• 2007: France won 34 / 7, Cardiff (WU)
• 2007: France won 32 / 21, Paris

Prediction:

France have not beaten Wales since Saint-Andre became coach three years ago and we have to go back to 2011 to find the last time France tasted victory in Paris. With behind-the-scenes controversy surrounding French rugby at the moment, it’s hard not to see that having any effect on the players. A win for either side will keep them in the running to claim the title, so a massively physical and hard game is expected. It will definitely be a close encounter and the result can go either way but we think Wales will edge this one by about 3 points.

Teams:

France: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Remi Lamerat, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Sofiane Guitoune, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (Captain), 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Romain Taofifenua, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Eddy Ben Arous
Replacements: 16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Uini Atonio, 19 Jocelino Suta, 20 Loann Goujon, 21 Sebastian Tillous-Borde, 22 Remi Tales, 23 Mathieu Bastareaud.

Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (captain), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Luke Charteris, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Gethin Jenkins
Replacements: 16 Richard Hibbard, 17 Paul James, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Bradley Davies, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Scott Williams.

Date: Saturday 28 February
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
Kick-Off: 19:00 SA Time (18:00 French Time, 17:00 BST & GMT)
Expected weather: Cloudy and windy, high of 6, chance of rain
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: JP Doyle (England), Marius Mitrea (Italy)
TMO: Simon McDowell

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