Courtney Lawes 'not worried about legacy' as he aims to earn England return

Courtney Lawes was not anticipating inclusion in Steve Borthwick's pre-season England squad over the weekend. While the 37-year-old has indicated that his return to the Premiership with Sale Sharks is largely driven by his ambition to feature in a fifth World Cup next year, much like the head coach, Lawes prefers action rather than words.

Borthwick has communicated to players such as Lawes, his fellow Sale arrival Joe Marchant and Newcastle's new No 8, Hoskins Sotutu, that earning England selection requires proving themselves against the players they now compete with in the Premiership. Lawes remained measured when discussing what is privately a strong determination to add to his 105 caps. "If I play well for Sale I'll give myself an opportunity to play for England," he said, recognising that Borthwick's side have made limited progress since he last represented them at the 2023 World Cup.

What stands out most, however, is why Lawes is putting himself through it at all.

During his final years with Northampton and England, Lawes at times seemed held together with tape. Strip back the worn edges and after years of what he describes as "balls-to-the-wall rugby," there was concern he would collapse from exhaustion. Yet the level he reached at the 2023 World Cup and particularly his final, title-winning season with Northampton was exceptional. After departing English rugby with a winners' medal, delivering his farewell press conference topless and wearing ski goggles, does his return risk diminishing that legacy?

"I don't feel nervous," he says. "I'm not too worried about legacy at this point. I'd much rather come back and not be able to make it than not know whether you've called time a bit early. I'll give it my best effort and the cards will lie where they lie."

To anyone familiar with Lawes' career, particularly from his Test resurgence under Eddie Jones, it will come as no surprise that legacy concerns him little. He has four children but there is no significant financial pressure either, even if a move to Sale, with whom his wife's family has close ties, came about partly because Northampton could not afford to bring him back. Some believe Lawes faces a difficult adjustment after two years in France's second tier with Brive, but he exudes a firm confidence in his ability to still perform. What has made Lawes one of the most well-liked England internationals in recent years is that he backs himself without any accompanying bravado.

"At Brive I don't think I played more than three weeks on the bounce, and very often it was two weeks," Lawes adds. "So it probably prolonged my career a little bit, going out there and not having to play balls-to-the-wall rugby every single week. I wasn't ready to retire last season. I was still playing really well and still one of the better players in the league. So I thought I'd go one more time. You're a long time retired and I can still move really well so, why not when you've still got it in your legs."

Those comments will be welcome news to Alex Sanderson and his fellow coaches at Sale. There is a clear energy around the place following Lawes' arrival, demonstrated when he won the pre-season padel competition with Dom Hanson. Young players look up to him and senior professionals such as George Ford have been impressed by the standards Lawes can still reach. Given how highly he values Ford's opinion, that will also encourage Borthwick.

It seems inevitable, then, that if he remains fit, Lawes' return to the England set-up will come in the autumn. It is a significant if, but there are reasons for optimism. The season before the last World Cup, Lawes barely played for Northampton, making four appearances before mid-April. He had sustained what he believed was a head injury in September 2022, but further investigation revealed a problem with his vestibular system. He returned and performed well for England during their World Cup campaign, surprising even himself with the standards he reached in the following campaign with Saints.

By then, however, a move to France had been agreed and international retirement had been announced. That is not to suggest Lawes regrets his time at Brive, rather that after maintaining standards abroad, he believes he has unfinished business with England. This is particularly the case because Lawes has long supported scrapping the Rugby Football Union rule that prevents players based outside England from being selected.

"When some of your better players are out in France, I don't see why you'd limit yourself," he says. "I can see why they do it because they don't want all their players playing abroad but I don't think that's necessarily going to be the case anyway. It's important that you have the best players available for selection. If we want the game to develop and more people to watch it, I think [the rugby landscape] has to develop."

Lawes is careful to say that moving to France is not for everyone, but believes he returns with additional skills and says the key difference in France is one of autonomy. "You've got to have a very specific mindset," he adds. "I see why players, take your Sextons, that are used to doing things a certain way, a certain standard, struggle, because you have got to be adaptable, you've got to be relaxed as well and have the ability to say: 'OK, let's do it your way.'"

"It's much more individual focused rather than team focused. In terms of the players there, instead of moving the ball to space they're expected to go for the space themselves, that kind of thing." In other words, precisely what Borthwick's England require.