Rugby evening headlines as George North's Six Nations hopes shattered and Italy star's brother dies at 24

Here are today's evening rugby headlines on Wednesday, March 2.

Wales star George North is unlikely to play a part in this year's Six Nations.

It had been hoped and expected the giant winger would feature for the Ospreys this weekend against Zebre, with a Wales call likely to follow soon after.

But it's now been decided he's not quite ready to return to action, all but ending hopes of a Six Nations return.

The Ospreys' next match is on March 25 in South Africa, and North has been adamant he needs game time before re-entering the international arena.

Wales finish their Six Nations campaign with matches against France and Italy on March 11 and 19.

"He's not quite there, to be honest," Booth said.

"He's been out there a few times and we just need to be a little bit more calm. He hasn't really got the training we want under his belt.

"After being out for so long, it's important that we do the right thing for George and for the team.

"He's probably going to miss out this weekend.

"We need to get more training under his belt before we put him in because once he's out there, we can't control it.

"We have to make sure he's had enough volume so as not to expose himself to further injury."

But Booth remained upbeat that a return was not too far away.

Asked about a time frame, he said: "The next game, I would have thought.

"He's very close. He's been out training with us in team sessions, so it's just about backing up a complete week, maybe two complete weeks.

"In an ideal world, when you've been long term injured, you really need at least a couple of full weeks to understand exactly where you are.

"He's not ticked that box yet. Especially with the position he plays with high speed efforts.

"With that explosive stuff, it's really