- Courtney Lawes talks to RFU.com about his England ambitions
- We want put in some strong performances this autumn – Lawes
England and Northampton Saints lock Courtney Lawes speaks exclusively to RFU.com about his meteoric rise to the Elite Player Squad; the upcoming Investec Internationals and why he believes that more Saints players can follow him into the England side this season.
RFU.com: Courtney, having represented England at almost every level does it make you appreciate your Test place that little bit more?
Courtney Lawes: Definitely, I mean playing for the full England side is an amazing experience and obviously a big step up from where I started with the England U18s but both have been fantastic experiences.
RFU.com: You got your first start against Australia, has it made you hungry for more?
CL: I’m definitely ready to get some more games. We’ve got good strength in my position though so I know full well that it’s not going to be easy holding on to a starting role. But if I can stay fit and focused and apply myself then I’d like to think I can give the manager a decision to make.
RFU.com: Since you've been involved with the England squad have you noticed a shift in game plan at all?
CL: Not massively – and after the win over Australia I don’t think we need to change too much. Things worked well for us in Sydney and there is no reason why we can’t take that forward and progress even further. We’ve got a good bond, we’re in good shape and playing some good rugby.
RFU.com: You’re just one of a group of Northampton Saints players in the England squad at the moment, is there something in the water down there?
CL: There must be! We’ve got a really good set up down there with a lot of good players coming through, and hopefully there’s a few more coming through the ranks.
All of the coaches are top class, they know what they’re doing, they’re on the ball – they have a game plan, they know how they want us to play and it all seems to be paying off.
RFU.com: Dylan Hartley is a real leader at Saints, was it good having him in the England squad when you first joined up?
CL: Dylan is a huge influence – both for England and at Saints. For someone so young he’s got a lot of authority about him and that rubs off on to the other players.
Having him in the England squad was good for me and hopefully we can play together for club and country for a long while yet.
RFU.com: Three of you debuted from Saints this year. You all clearly have a good understanding on the pitch, what sort of relationship do you all have other off it?
CL: We’re all pretty tight down at Saints and we stick together while we’re with England – obviously we mix with the other lads and we all get on really well, but it’s always good to have a few friendly faces about.
RFU.com: Looking ahead to the Investec Internationals, do you think that England can compete against the world best?
CL: We’ll give it our best, we’re playing well at the moment but the sides we are playing are all very, very strong.
From our point of view though it’s a chance to show them how far we’ve come as we head into world cup year. It’ll be a great chance for us to get all of the fans on side and put in some strong performances.
RFU.com: So things are building nicely towards the World Cup in 2011?
CL: Well I don’t want to look too far ahead, just need to concentrate on my rugby, stay injury free and see where that takes me. But ask any player and they will say that they want to play in the RWC and i'm no different.