Northampton face being fined by Premiership Rugby for releasing their wing George North to play for Wales against Australia in Cardiff this Saturday, a Test that falls outside the official window.
The 21-year-old North, who joined in the summer from the Scarlets, told Wales he had added a clause in his contract that allowed him to be released for all Tests and national training squad camps. His last appearance for the Saints was on 20 October. In contrast, the prop Paul James returned to Bath this week, while James Hook and Luke Charteris are back in Perpignan.
Premiership Rugby's policy is that no non-England players are released for matches or training camps that fall outside the International Rugby Board's window. A spokesman said the policy remained in force and that Northampton would be investigated with North preparing for the Australia match rather than the Premiership game at Worcester.
"The policy was agreed by all 12 clubs and any breaches of it are governed by our code of conduct," said the spokesman. Northampton will be asked to explain why they released North and a fine is the most likely punishment. With Wales able to keep North for the two fallow weekends in the Six Nations, it could prove an expensive clause for the Saints.
Wales hope that North's regular wing partner, Alex Cuthbert, will be available after he returned to training on Saturday following an ankle injury. The top try-scorer in the Six Nations as Wales retained the title was expected to miss the autumn campaign. Although he has yet to be officially added to Wales's squad, he is in line for a timely recall with Wales missing their first-choice centres, Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies.
"Alex could potentially make it,, but we will have to wait and see," said the Wales defence coach, Shaun Edwards. "We are very interested in him if he is fit: he has scored the winning tries in the final matches of our last two Six Nations campaigns and you always want your best players available."
Wales's last victory over a Sanzar nation was against Australia in 2008. Successful in Europe since then, they have found various ways of losing matches against the might of the southern hemisphere that they appeared to be in control of, not least against the Wallabies a year ago when they were undone, like Ireland against New Zealand on Sunday, by a try from the last move of the game.
"We definitely want to win this game and we are going to win it," said the Wales hooker Richard Hibbard. "We've been so close over so many games but now is the time to do it. We have been saying that for a long time and we now have to deliver. We are a bit wiser now and we have a number of players who beat Australia with the Lions. We have learned that you have to play for the full 80 minutes against these teams. They are very good at staying with you and stealing a game."
Australia are in Wales's World Cup group, along with England. "It is a chance to put a marker down for the tournament," said Edwards. "We have got closer to Australia over the years and this is the game everyone has been waiting for this month. It is going to be a high quality Test match, but I would not swap a win now for one in the World Cup or for becoming the first team to win the Six Nations three times in a row."
