COURTNEY LAWES on why he can be a Lions starter, ‘very cocky’ Henry Pollock and the reason Eddie Jones was so successful

I had four fantastic years at Northampton during which Courtney Lawes went from being a fearsome opponent with England to a team-mate and close friend.

Courtney and I share an agent, so it’s not like we’ve ever been total strangers. But I used to hate playing against him in a Wales shirt because as No 10, I was often the target for his trademark brutal tackling.

It was a proud moment for both of us and Northampton when we captained our respective countries in a Six Nations game in 2022 while still at the club.

Courtney is a very different leader to me. He’s quite quiet and likes his own space! But working alongside him made me realise just how good a player he is. He’s phenomenal. Now, we’re both playing in France.

There’s been a lot of symmetry to our careers. The first time we were colleagues was on the 2017 Lions tour of New Zealand. Courtney made a couple of replacement appearances off the bench in that famous 1-1 Test series with the All Blacks. 

Meanwhile, I was a midweek dirt-tracker warming the seats in the stands and making sure the beers were cold! Eight years later, I still think Courtney could do a job for the Lions this summer even if he is playing French second division club rugby with Brive. So does he.

‘I’m not delusional about it, but I’m pretty confident that if I did get the opportunity, I could still perform and I’d absolutely love to,’ Courtney told me of his Lions hopes this year when we caught up on my podcast A Load of BS on Sport.

‘I thoroughly believe I could do it. I’ve said publicly that if you wanted me on the Lions, I’d be more than happy to. I’d love to go out there, prove myself again, and go for it.

‘If I got called up, if I got my foot in the door, I’d be pretty confident I could play myself into the (Test) team. Why the hell not?

‘I’m ball carrying a lot more, which I love. Generally, I feel like I’m just playing pretty well.’

Andy Farrell, the man in charge of the Lions tour to Australia this summer, unveiled his assistant coaches last week and said French-based players, like Courtney, myself, and Farrell’s own son Owen, would be considered. Not that I’m holding out much hope of selection!

Courtney is different though. He’s one of only a handful of players who could play French second division club rugby and still excel on a Lions tour. He’s been exceptional this season for Brive, who are hoping for promotion to the Top14.

‘The only reason the Lions works is because of the quality of player you have on the team,’ Courtney said. ‘I remember the first training session we had in New Zealand.

‘The calls and everything were just so quick. Things get picked up so quickly, adapted or interpreted, or taken to the next level. It’s just the quality of play.

‘You really are playing with the best players on this side of the planet. It’s an amazing experience.’

With 105 England caps and two Lions tours already under his belt, you can’t doubt Courtney’s international class and experience.

There are some brilliant back-rows in contention for the trip to Australia. In the likes of Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Josh van der Flier, Rory Darge and many, many others, Farrell has tough calls to make.

Jack Willis, another Englishman based in France, is also in the form of his life for Toulouse despite being unavailable for international rugby.

Knowing Courtney as I do, I’ve no doubt he would deliver against the Wallabies. At Northampton, Courtney was the man. And I mean, THE man. He’d have about four lockers to himself in the changing room.

The pecking order was done according to seniority and Courtney was at the top – the Mayfair of the Monopoly board if you will. When I joined in 2018, luckily I had a few appearances for Wales and the Lions to my name so they bumped me up the queue a little bit. I was on Park Lane!

‘The main unifying factor for the successful teams I was in was that the leadership group and the coaching group were incredibly aligned in what they did and what direction they wanted to take the team in,’ Courtney said.

‘Eddie Jones, for example, would have Dylan Hartley and a couple of other leaders and they’d say what’s happening. This is where we’re taking the team. This is what you’re going to do.

‘It can’t be all what the coaches want or all what the players want. You’ve got to find common ground.

‘The season we had last year at Saints was a good example where we had a really strong leadership group with a lot of the boys that are playing with England now. And we had a really young coaching group that were prepared to listen to us.’

Courtney, who lifted the Premiership crown in his Northampton farewell last summer, might not be one for big speeches, but he’s always been a leader.

He’s not someone you mess about with on or off the field, which is why when Henry Pollock tried to take the mick in Northampton training, he was in my opinion being more than brave!

Pollock, still just 20, is having a breakthrough season. He scored two tries on his England debut against Wales in the Six Nations. And against Sale last Friday, he produced an incredible run and finish to cross after a chip and chase. It showed how good he is.

But when Pollock tried to embarrass Courtney when they were team-mates at Saints last season by handing him off in what was meant to be a non-contact session, I’m not sure he made the wisest of moves.

That’s not the done thing at either club or international level. It would have annoyed a lot of people and set tongues wagging. 

‘With Henry, he gets a lot of s*** because he’s very cocky,’ Courtney said. ‘The thing is he absolutely loves rugby. I don’t like rugby, so don’t talk to me about it. I might watch the internationals if it works out with my diary.

‘He’s a rugby fan which is a good thing. I’m not saying it’s bad thing at all. And he’s obviously very good at rugby. He loves that he’s good at rugby. Boys just give him c**p.

‘I tried to keep his head in check. But I was not bothered by stuff like that. He’s just a young kid coming through and I’m not going to try and knock him down. I’m not bothered if he’s cocky as long as he can deliver on the weekend. He’s doing well for himself, so fair play to him.’

Pollock is the new kid on the block with English rugby and he is quite clearly a supreme talent. He is of a different era to Courtney and is a different type of player too.

But the Northampton legend isn’t quite done yet and I think there is still a good chance we’ll see him in Australia in July and August. Don’t discount us old dogs just yet!

Listen to A Load of BS on Sport with Dan Biggar and Daniel Ross on Spotify.