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Wales centre George North will join an elite Rugby World Cup club when he runs out against opening opponents Fiji on Sunday.<\/p>\n
It will be North\u2019s fourth tournament, a feat achieved by only four other Welshmen in Gethin Jenkins, Alun Wyn Jones, Gareth Thomas and Stephen Jones.<\/p>\n
And, at 31, he is showing no sign of slowing down, remaining a pivotal figure in head coach Warren Gatland\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n
With 114 caps, North is the most experienced Wales player on show at France 2023, underlining his consistency, durability and quality.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI hoped that I would get to one (World Cup), for sure. To represent your country is huge, but to play at a World Cup is wicked,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am still fighting and competing, and find myself at number four.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess it\u2019s just a kudos to myself and shows all the work you put in is worth it to get to a fourth. I am still enjoying it.\u201d<\/p>\n
North is enthused by Wales\u2019 current World Cup crop, with the squad featuring 16 tournament debutants, including co-captains Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake.<\/p>\n
He also has three other cap centurions for company in Dan Biggar, Taulupe Faletau and Leigh Halfpenny as Wales look to make an impact in France.<\/p>\n
It will be Gatland\u2019s fourth World Cup at the Wales helm, having previously masterminded two semi-final appearances, and North has been there every step of the way.<\/p>\n
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He also believes Gatland has firmly put his stamp on the squad, nine months back into his second stint as Wales boss and following a difficult Six Nations campaign last season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vibe has been really good,\u201d North added. \u201cFor a lot of the boys it is their first World Cup, so they are going into the unknown and they are excited.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everyone has just bought into it straight off, and I think that comes from \u2018Gats\u2019 when he set the tone with his last message from the Six Nations to the first day in World Cup camp \u2013 \u2018this is how we are going to do it, this is how I want to do it. You either want to be in, or you don\u2019t\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the (training) sessions in Switzerland were brutal, probably some of the hardest I have ever done. The same in Turkey.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe came off the paddock and we had knocked lumps out of each other for 40-odd minutes in 46 degrees. It\u2019s all about his way of building that resilience, building that robustness into the squad.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe pretty much said to us after we played France in the last round of the Six Nations that the World Cup was going to be the hardest thing you will ever do. He was not lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wales find themselves in a World Cup pool alongside three of their opponents from Japan four years ago \u2013 Fiji, Australia and Georgia \u2013 with North underlining the importance of a strong start.<\/p>\n
The default setting is never give in, keep moving, keep going, keep going, keep going<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to start with a win on Sunday, pure and simple,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe squad is in a really good place. Everyone understands where we are, everyone is well drilled on how we want to go about our work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe training camps we have been on have been brutal, absolutely brutal. The default setting is never give in, keep moving, keep going, keep going, keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n