The pitch invader who stormed the Stade de France after Wales scored the match-winning try in the Six Nations clash at the weekend has been identified: it was George North's dad.
The Welsh winger had dived at full length over to touch down in the corner to score the try which gave Wales breathing space to clinch a famous win in Paris when he was accosted by an overexcited fan in a heavy winter coat trying to join in the celebrations.
Fans and pundits originally thought little of the interruption - but immediately after it happened the players began quizzing North about the suspiciously familiar pitch invader.
"A couple of the boys were saying, 'Is that your old man?' And everyone was like, 'No, it can’t be'," North told the Daily Telegraph.
"He was in that corner in a big group of Welsh fans. He just lost his head in the excitement.
"To be honest, I can’t understand why running on to the pitch was the first thing that came into his head!"
The player himself claimed that he had been "oblivious" as he had been jogging back to his own half when clapped on the back by the unknown hands, while the overeager father admitted that he had simply got caught up in the moment.
"It was such an important game for the team and I know first-hand how hard they have been working to get that victory. Before I knew it, I was on the pitch," David North explained to the Daily Mail.
"It was a freezing night and we were sat in that corner, right in front of where George caught the ball. I was just so happy and overwhelmed watching him score.
“Thinking back, I know it was a silly thing to do but I just got caught up in the excitement of it all.”
