North only made his debut for the Scarlets against Treviso last September scoring two tries in the process; just two months later he repeated the trick for Wales against South Africa in his first start for his country.

Two further caps followed but his meteoric rise was halted by a shoulder injury that ruled him out for three months.

But North is firmly back on the comeback trail after a try against Edinburgh was followed by another full 80 minutes against Leinster.

Scarlets boss Nigel Davies is keen for North not to be rushed back into the Wales fold too quickly, yet after so long on the sidelines the teenager admits he would find it hard to refuse the call of national service.

“People like Mark Jones and David Lyons have told me there’s no point in rushing back this year and making it worse for yourself. There will be plenty more Six Nations to play in,” said North, who will be battling the likes of Morgan Stoddart and Leigh Halfpenny for a starting berth.

“But being a bit of a ‘Roy Keano’ I have got that taste and just want to be back playing at that level.

“A bit more game time would be good but if I was asked to do a job, I would not say no.

“To get back playing is everything to me. That’s all you want to do as a player when you are out injured.

“It was great for me to get a try on my return, you can’t really beat that.

“I was just happy to get 80 minutes under my belt even if I was blowing a bit towards the end. It was just amazing to be back out there.”

With pace to burn and tipping the scales at nearly 16st 5lb and 6ft 4in, North might seem destined to have been a winger but he actually started out as a flanker.

It was only once he broke his collarbone that he came back as a bustling back but even then many in the Scarlets set-up believed he would make his mark in the centres.

That door is not yet completely closed but North admits he owes a big vote of thanks to the Scarlets for giving him his break in the first place.

“I have always had great respect for the club that they are prepared to take a chance on young guys," added North who says he is still growing.

“As an 18-year-old that is all you can ask for. I am so thankful they gave me that chance.

“This time last year I just finished my A-Levels so if you had told me I would have three caps in a year’s time I would probably have laughed.

“I would have snapped your hand off. It never crossed my mind until someone said to me you are playing week in, week out for the Scarlets so you automatically have a one in eight chance.”

While North missed the chance to compete against England this year, next year’s Six Nations could inspire a divided family household.

While North’s mother Janet is as committed a Welsh supporter as you will find with a sign on her kitchen wall declaring ‘I support Wales and anyone playing England’; his father, David, is a passionate England fan.

English football supporters long rue the fact that Ryan Giggs, who captained England schoolboys, went on to play for Wales but Welsh-speaker North says pulling on the Red Rose was never an option.

He said: “It [playing for England] was never an issue for me. It didn’t even cross my mind.

“I came through the age grade system in Wales and playing international rugby for them is all I have ever wanted to do.

“I remember watching the 2005 and 2008 Grand Slams with my parents.

“My old man is English and my mum is Welsh so it was a bit of a heated household at times.

“You would also have friends of the family around and there was always lots of banter flying about.

“I think my dad will always be loyal to me if I do play against England, at least I hope he will.”