Wales v Australia
Northampton face fine for North release
ESPN Staff
November 26, 2013
George North's availability for Saturday's Test has caused potential repercussions for his club Northampton © Getty Images
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Northampton Saints could face a fine for allowing George North to play in this weekend's Test between Wales and Australia.

The Test match is occurring outside of the official Test window and although North has a clause in his contract which permits him to play in all Wales Test matches, Premiership Rugby will investigate Northampton's decision to release him.

PRL's policy is that no non-England players are allowed to play in matches or to train with their national side outside of the official window and as a result, Northampton could be hit with a financial penalty. A spokesman told the Guardian: "The policy was agreed by all 12 clubs and any breaches of it are governed by our code of conduct."

Despite any financial penalties for Northampton, North's availability will come as a huge boost for Wales. And they could also have Cardiff Blues' winger Alex Cuthbert at their disposal.

The British & Irish Lions wing suffered an ankle injury while on Heineken Cup duty for Cardiff Blues last month which ruled him out of Wales' November appointments with South Africa, Argentina and Tonga. However, Cuthbert is currently training with Wales and assistant coach Shaun Edwards has delivered an encouraging fitness bulletin ahead of the Wallabies clash.

"Alex has been monitored by the Blues staff and by us over the last number of weeks," Edwards said. "We have not officially called him into the squad yet but he is training with us and he is just being assessed. Fingers crossed he could potentially, maybe, be fit but we will just have to wait and see.

"You always want your best players fit and Alex is basically a player who has scored the winning tries in the last two Six Nations. So he is certainly a player we are very interested in, if he is fit, in being available for selection at the weekend."

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