Wales star George North wants to reward Warren Gatland 's 'trust ' in him after a challenging few months on the international circuit . Juggernaut wing North will win his 48th cap in Saturday 's RBS 6 Nations showdown against unbeaten title favourites Ireland at the Millennium Stadium . And the 22-year-old 's impressive display when Wales beat France in Paris 11 days ago suggests he is on the way back to recapturing top Test match form . Earlier this term , Wales head coach Gatland called for North to increase his involvement in games , and it did not go unnoticed . Wales winger George North collects a pass in training ahead of the Six Nations clash with Ireland . North is thankful for the 'trust ' that Wales coach Warren Gatland has shown in him in recent weeks . Wales centre Jamie Roberts ( left ) runs with the ball during a training session at the Vale Hotel . Scrum-half Rhys Webb catches the ball in training ahead of Saturday 's Six Nations showdown with Ireland . 'For me , it 's never a good point if the head coach is not happy with you , ' North said . 'That is when you start getting dropped and stuff . ' I felt that Paris was a step forward for me to where I want to be in a Welsh jersey , and hopefully on Saturday I can push forward again and reward his trust . ' North has only scored one try in his last seven Tests - against Fiji last November - but at the Millennium Stadium it is a strike-rate of seven touchdowns from 10 starts during the past 16 months . Victory for Wales this weekend would keep them in the Six Nations title mix heading for an appointment with Italy in Rome next week , but recent history suggests that Ireland occupy the box-seat . They have beaten Wales in each of the last two Six Nations campaigns , scoring an aggregate 56 points , while Joe Schmidt 's men are currently on an Irish record-equalling run that has realised 10 successive Test wins . North is tackled by England 's Jonathan Joseph ( left ) and Anthony Watson ( right ) during the Six Nations match . 'If you look at Ireland over the last couple of years in this fixture , they have just been clinical , ' North added . 'Over the past two years they have been very good at finishing games off . They take their chances when they can , and we have lacked that composure when it has come to the crunch . 'They are 10 ( wins ) from 10 , which is unbelievable . 'They have got a lot of confidence now , they execute their game-plan very well and they are a side that knows what they want to do and where they want to go , and everyone has bought into that ethos . 'We do n't need to big the game up more than it is . It 's a massive game for Ireland , going for the Grand Slam , and for us it will be a great Test match here in Cardiff . ' North ( pictured here in 2014 ) will win his 48th cap for Wales if he plays against Ireland at the weekend . Wales , meanwhile , will be captained by flanker Sam Warburton for the 34th time as he overtakes Ryan Jones ' Welsh record , and North said : 'It 's exceptional for Sam . 'He is a quality player and leads from the front , and as a captain you can not ask for any more . 'With someone like Sam it 's not necessarily what he says , it 's the actions he does . He is the kind of man who will never ask you to do something he would n't do himself . 'In training , he is not someone who stands up and gives a 20-minute speech and everyone gets up and starts screaming . 'It 's more of a kind of chat that is to the point and is no more or no less than what it needs to be . ' Wales flanker Sam Warburton will captain his country for a record 34th time against Ireland on Saturday .
George North is thankful to Six Nations coach Warren Gatland for his selection . North will win his 48th cap for his country against Ireland on Saturday . The 22-year-old gave an impressive display against France last time out . Ireland are favourites for the Wales title and are unbeaten this year .