Saints signing North hands speed merchant Bosch credit as he gears up for second Lions Test

North lit up the series against Australia with a blistering 60-metre solo try in last Saturday’s first Test, which underpinned a 23-21 Lions victory.

Wales wing North will again be a key component in the Lions’ attacking armoury at the Etihad Stadium, where victory would secure Test series glory one game inside the distance.

And the 21-year-old has put much of his rapid progress down to biomechanics expert Bosch, whose varied roles include being sprint consultant to the Wales rugby squad.

He has also enjoyed a stint with the Saints, when he worked with Chris Ashton.

“Frans is a speed man, and while it doesn’t happen overnight I have got faster since meeting him,” said North.

“I am getting the rewards now.

“I was just a schoolboy when I met him and I just used to run over people, but now I know how to angle my runs. I have a lot more confidence now.

“I think I showed that with my try (last Saturday). I gathered the ball and I thought about setting up the ruck, but it just opened up for me and I was able to finish it off.

“You do a lot of work on phase play, but sometimes it’s nice when something like that just comes off.”

North expects no let-up in the pace and ferocity tomorrow, especially as Australia know they have to win or see their series hopes evaporate.

“For them this weekend it is do-or-die, so we know they are going to come at us. The pace is going to be higher again,” he added.

“We are just focusing on the rugby, it’s not our job to talk it up.

“We came here with one common goal, and that was to win the Test series.

“We are just one step away from that now. We’ve done the first part, and now we need to move on to Saturday.

“We have a great chance of finishing the job off.

“The confidence is great, but it is easy to get too far ahead of ourselves.

“You need to stay focused because we don’t want to think of what might be before we actually achieve it.”