Courtney Lawes future at Northampton remains uncertain
Northampton Saints are facing a tough battle to keep one of their most prized assets, England flanker Courtney Lawes, at Franklin’s Gardens.
With just a few months left on his current contract, negotiations are still ongoing, and the club is eager to secure his signature.
Saints have already lost England lock Dave Ribbans to Toulon, and the potential departure of Lawes would be a significant blow for the club. Lawes – who made a successful return from injury today in their win against Saracens – has been an integral part of the Saints team for over a decade, making over 200 appearances and establishing himself as one of the best forwards in the world.
The 34-year-old’s contract negotiations have been ongoing for some time now, and there have been reports that he has attracted interest from a number of top clubs in England and France. However, Northampton are hoping that they can convince Lawes to stay put and continue to be a key figure in their plans.
Speaking on BT Sport, Northampton Saints Director of Rugby Phil Dowson confirmed that negotiations were ongoing, saying ‘Currently we are negotiating that but thanks for the question Ugo’ when asked by BT Sport’s presenter Ugo Monye if Lawes was staying, before playfully pushing Monye off camera after the pitchside interview was completed.
Not sure Phil Dowson appreciated that line of questioning, @ugomonye ??#GallagherPrem https://t.co/OUnziJ6x7R pic.twitter.com/4cJFI2Uc3k
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) April 15, 2023
Despite the lighthearted moment, it is clear that the situation is serious for the club.
Northampton Saints have had an up-and-down season but Dowson’s side are finding form as the season goes on, beating a 14-man Saracens side this afternoon to keep their play-off dreams alive.
Losing a player of Lawes’ calibre would be a significant blow, both in terms of his on-field contributions and his leadership off the field.
The England veteran’s versatility is also a major asset for Northampton, as he is equally comfortable playing in the second row or the back row. His physicality and athleticism make him a real handful for opposition teams, and his ability to turn over possession and disrupt opposition attacks has been crucial for the Saints over the years.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Courtney Lawes and Northampton Saints. However, the fact that negotiations are ongoing at this late stage of the season will be a cause for concern for the club’s fans. They will be hoping that Lawes – a one-club man -pens a new deal in the coming weeks.
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Danny Care. Lang in die tand.
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1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
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2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
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1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
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5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
35 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
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