For a while it looked like Courtney Lawes would end up as a one-club man.
It has now become a very rare commodity in modern games where opportunity abounds and loyalty is not always rewarded on both sides of the coin. Forward Lawes has been synonymous with Northampton Saints since his first game as a teenager for the gang in 2007 and capped it off in style by winning the Gallagher Premiership Rugby final against Bath in his last outing.
Related: Watch Beno Obano red card shock Bath in the early stages of the Premier League final v Northampton Saints match
Lawes, a 2014 premiership winner, has made it clear that he wants to end his career playing exclusively for Saints. The Saints did their best to make that happen. But in the end, the bumper contract offer from Pro D2 in France with Brive proved to be too good to make the switch. Under.
Lawes said this would be “transformative” for his family. Even the most ardent fan wouldn’t begrudge such a faithful servant in the sun for several seasons. The shoe army respects him.
“It’s great to finally have some time off and start a new chapter for him and his family because he’s been an incredible servant to the club,” said flyhalf Fin Smith. “He deserves every euro he can get in the coming years.
“The gap he will leave behind is enormous. He is the best player I have ever played with. I think probably everyone who played with him would say the same thing. His style is probably one or two people in the world who can do it like Peter O’Mahony and Pieter-Steph du Toit. So I don’t think trying to replace him is very feasible.”
Lighting a body and putting it in the freezer is an old rugby cliché. Lawes’ on-field ferocity and easy-going attitude epitomize this.
rugby world We recently visited Saints’ training ground, where we witnessed Lawes pummeling lads before hopping into the canteen on his electric scooter. Save your leg. How cool is that?!
“He’s very calm in everything he does,” says back row colleague Lewis Ludlam. “He is probably the most laid-back professional player you will ever meet off the pitch. He likes to keep himself very comfortable.
“But he has had the attitude of trying to get better every day for the last 10 years.”
Lawes made his name as a slugger known for his bone-shaking tackles. He brought in Le Crunch for England vs. France in 2015. Jules Plisson’s ribcage has just recovered from that massive crash.
But perhaps his greatest skill is what has made him the all-court genius he is today. “He has developed his game into a ball player. His off-the-ball play is unbelievable. He is a turnover specialist. He is one of the best players on the team at the moment,” Ludlam added.
“He is someone who is constantly evolving his game and continues to add more strings to his bow. I think it’s been really good for me to have him instill the knowledge and understand that you have to keep adding little by little to your game.”
Ludlam is another man to cross the Channel and will miss the confidence that Lawes brings with him.
“Just being able to look across before the game and see one of the best players to ever play the game next to you, in my opinion, is huge for the boys. He will be a great loss to the club.”
Although he captained both club and country brilliantly, Lawes always let his actions do the talking. “Courtney will speak when the time is right for him to speak,” said his former Saints teammate and director of rugby Phil Dowson.
“He is very good at not wasting words. This has tremendous value within the group. You can literally tell when it’s a big match because Courtney stands in the middle and delivers the stack. As always, Courts’ timing is perfect.”
This article first appeared in the June 2024 issue of Rugby World.
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