How Ollie Lawrence overcame job loss and injuries to make World Cup
Ollie Lawrence has explained the motivation that saw him overcome three massive setbacks in less than a year. The England midfielder was briefly left unemployed last autumn when his contract at Worcester was liquidated after the club fell out of the Gallagher Premiership.
He bounced back to star for Bath, excellent form that resulted in him starting three Guinness Six Nations matches in the spring and scoring a crucial try in his country’s February win over Wales.
However, his Test run was painfully ended by a hamstring injury in his team’s humiliating heavy home defeat to France.
While he recovered to finish out the season for his new club and be crowned Premiership player of the year, further injury worries weren’t far away as Lawrence was to spend four weeks of the England pre-season listed as part of their rehab group following a week-one knee setback in early June.
It took him a month to get back fit and back in Steve Borthwick’s squad and that recovery culminated last Monday in his inclusion in the squad of 33 that will travel to France at the end of August ahead of a World Cup campaign that begins versus Argentina in Marseille on September 9.
Before his latest step towards that opening fixture, a start in this Saturday’s Summer Nations Series match versus Wales in London, Lawrence has reflected on his up-and-down journey since the start of the 2022/23 season.
What helped him stay the course despite the concerning setbacks of job loss and injuries? “It was the realisation that rugby can be taken away from you at any point, whether that be injury or any factor.
“I think the fact that I was at a place [Worcester] for so long and grew up playing there, and then had to completely move to a different team where a load of different players have been together for a long time was a real challenge.
“My real motivation is the fact that I was fortunate enough to pick up a gig pretty sharpish and I wanted to bring the best out of myself and just get going again.
“It was difficult, but we all go through ups and downs in life and my job is to play rugby to the best of my ability. Hopefully, I did that for Bath this season and moving forward now with England over these next few weeks, hopefully I can do the same.”
Borthwick road-tested six specialist midfielders across the England pre-season, Will Joseph dropping out after week one to leave five players to contest a position where ultimately there were only three spots available.
In the end, Lawrence made the cut, along with Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchant, with Henry Slade and Guy Porter the recipients of bad news last Sunday morning in Cardiff from coach Borthwick.
Did Lawrence’s untimely pre-season injury leave him stressed that he might not make the World Cup? “Initially it probably runs through your head and you think, ‘Oh, this is the end’. You have those few moments and then the next day as soon as you realise what you are facing, you deal with it. It happened, I got injured.
“I just had to work as hard as I could off the field to try and get to the place where these boys were on the field and make sure that when I came back the gap wasn’t too far away.
“In the end, it was just doing my best. The call that Steve was going to make was going to be his decision and all I could do was put myself in the best position to be back on the field.”
Comments on RugbyPass
“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.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
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.
37 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
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 …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
5 Go to comments