George North: Northampton winger 'feeling ok' after head blow

Northampton winger George North says he is "feeling ok" after being knocked out following a blow to the head in their 52-30 victory over Wasps on Friday.

North, 22, left the field on a stretcher and was also twice hit in the head in Wales' Six Nations defeat by England in Cardiff on 6 February.

He was left motionless after a knee to the head from Wasps' Nathan Hughes.

"Thanks for all the messages," North said on his Twitter account on Saturday morning. "Feeling ok, up and about."

Saints' director of rugby Jim Mallinder added on Friday that the Welshman was "walking about in the dressing room" after the game, while the club issued a statement on Saturday to say the player had begun treatment and would see a specialist next week.

"He has been into the club today (Saturday) for treatment and will continue to be monitored by the Saints' experienced medical team throughout the weekend," said the statement.

"As with everyone in the squad, Northampton Saints places the highest importance on player welfare, and as such North will see a specialist early next week for an assessment."

North's knocks against England in the Six Nations opener prompted controversy as he was allowed to play on - but he missed Wales' trip to Scotland after being given an "extended recovery period".

The former Scarlets man was hurt in the act of scoring his second try when he was caught on the head by the knee of Wasps forward Hughes, who was sent off for dangerous play but protested his innocence.

"The opposition have got to then be very careful once the try is scored and it was reckless coming in with the knee," added Mallinder. "Some serious consequences happened because of it."

Wasps director of rugby Dai Young saw his side concede two tries in five minutes after the dismissal which he felt was "harsh".

Young added: "I hope George is okay, Nathan has gone looking for him to make sure he is okay - he is not that type of person [who would injure someone deliberately]."