Sitting in the stands at Franklin’s Gardens on Friday night, Steve Borthwick probably felt like a child whose parents couldn’t order the must-have, sold-out toy for Christmas as he watched England head coach Courtney Lawes deliver another great man. Northampton’s match performance.
Lawes is a tool that Borthwick can no longer have. He will not return to international rugby but still continues to perform to an international standard, as he did in the 22-19 win over Toulon that took Northampton from two wins to two wins in the Champions Cup.
The 34-year-old’s desirability has been boosted by a spate of injuries to England back-rowers heading into the Six Nations but Lawes is not thinking twice about his decision to retire, even if he has yet to thwart Borthwick’s trick. “I’m just trying to do my job,” Lawes said. “Settling in at home makes everything a lot easier. I’m just enjoying my rugby and that’s what it is, you know. I’m just trying to play well, I play for the boys and we’ve clicked together pretty well. The work is not yet completed. “We’ve got some pretty big ambitions this season but it’s an absolutely fantastic start and we couldn’t have done it any better.”
Borthwick may not be the only one missing Lawes, whose contract expires at the end of the season. Negotiations last season lasted until April and Lawes left his future open-ended, particularly with England selection no longer a factor in his decision. “You’re not really supposed to talk until Christmas but I’m pretty happy to continue with my rugby,” Lawes said. “I’m sure I may have a few options when the contracts come. I hope to stay but we’ll see what happens.”
Lawes told Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson that he wanted to think about it for a while before starting talks in earnest, but that the club was optimistic he would remain a one-club man. “I feel like he’s really enjoying the way he’s playing right now and enjoying being around these young kids,” Dowson said. “That keeps it fresh. We are very hopeful. We want to keep him.”
There have been few better servants of the club than Lawes, who grew up just a few strokes away from Franklin’s Gardens and made his debut for the club against Esher at the old National One in 2007. A single Premiership title in 2014, as well as a handful of Challenge Cups, arguably represents a disappointing return. But having beaten English champions Saracens and second-placed teams in the United Rugby Championship (Glasgow Warriors) and the Top 14 (Toulon) in successive weeks, Lawes says there is now real confidence that Northampton can mix it up with anyone .
“No matter when I leave, whether I retire or whatever, you always want to win silver medals and have those memories and play on big stages for big trophies,” Lawes said. “Winning more silver medals here is something I aspire to do. We are on the right track. We went for a while without winning anything, so we want to fix that.
“[The win against Toulon] This is a great example for us and you can really count on wins like this as we approach the second half of the season. You can really build your faith when the chips are down because you have a chance to bounce back like we did. All I’m saying is we have time and that’s all you need. We proved that we can really score from anywhere. “I believed we could do it and we did it.”
Part of Lawes’ confidence stems from the development of Saints’ young players, who have provided the consistency to fulfill their potential. Tommy Freeman, in particular, impressed Lawes in his new role at outside centre, as one of Gardens’ few players with England ambitions.
“He’s a big guy,” Lawes said. “He’s 6 feet tall, weighs over 100 pounds. That’s a big number for a back and with that kind of speed he’ll be a really dangerous player. Seeing him truly mature and perform consistently is what will bring him back to the international stage. He deserves it.
“The whole squad, a lot of the young players have matured a lot last season and at the start of this season. We have a lot of men’s players in our group; Curtis Langdon is doing great, then Alex Moon and Alex Coles are performing consistently. Alex Mitchell went to the World Cup and He’s been in great form since his return. [George Furbank] Fraser leads the attack alongside Dingwall and Freemo. “It’s great to see these good English players playing rugby consistently, playing well, and hopefully they get the chance to do it on the big stage.”