Watch out for a George North try-spree warns Ben Foden

Try-starved George North is set for a New Year scoring spree according to Saints teammate Ben Foden, who believes recent criticism of the Wales winger is misplaced.
North failed to score in his first seven matches for the Saints – before going over yesterday against London Irish – after returning from World Cup duty, but Foden says the blame lies with the team and poor conditions rather than the player.
Foden told The Rugby Player: “We've all taken a bit of criticism, especially at home where we haven't scored as many tries as we'd have liked. But when you analyse those matches the weather's been pretty poor and we've struggled to get our back three into the game.
“Fans want to see George North in space, running around people, using his fast feet and great hand-off to score fantastic tries, but that's not always possible.
“What George does very well, though, is get his head down and if you look at his stats, he works his ar*e off, chases kicks and makes his tackles. He's doing everything right, we just need the grounds to start drying up a bit so we can play our expansive game again.
“That's when we'll see the real George North and, for me, he's still one of the best wingers in world rugby.
“He's still only 23, which is ridiculous when you think of what he's achieved, so we'll soon see a switch flicked and he'll go again.”
Saints managed just seven tries in their opening six league matches, the lowest tally in the division, and Foden concedes there has been a post-World Cup hangover after so many of their stars missed out on selection or under-performed during the tournament.
“We have misfired and we're very disappointed,” Foden said. “We didn't get off to the best of starts by losing at Worcester and we've struggled to get going since.
“We've struggled to get across the whitewash, but it's still relatively early in the season because of the World Cup delay and I'm confident we can turn it around.
“We have great talent in the squad and Dylan Hartley's back now – a great leader for us – so if we can just start turning pressure into points, our confidence will return and, hopefully, we can build towards another big finish when things are won in May.”
Having successfully recovered from a ruptured ACL and penned a new contract with Saints, Foden has set his personal sights on making an England comeback.
He said: “I feel really good now. It's always difficult coming back from a big injury but my left knee feels really strong and I've played 11 or 12 straight games.
“I feel confident now and am ready to push on again towards further international honours.
“There's plenty of people playing well, especially Alex Goode who's in a Sarries team who are flying and is making the most of his opportunities. You've got Mike Brown and Anthony Watson as well, but it depends which way Eddie Jones wants to go.”
Foden underlined his commitment by remaining in England when he could have gone abroad, adding: “Money's one thing but the lifestyle is good here and I'm looked after by the club. There are other ways you can be rich in life apart from money.”
NEALE HARVEY