'I'd be surprised': United message emerges at Sale over Courtney Lawes

Sale Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson has backed Courtney Lawes to force his way back into the England squad this autumn after being hugely impressed by the veteran forward since his return to English rugby.

Lawes stepped away from the international game following the 2023 World Cup before joining Brive in 2024. But he is back in the Gallagher PREM now and has outlined his ambition to don the white jersey he has worn 105 times with the World Cup on the horizon, and Sanderson believes the 37-year-old remains capable of operating at Test level, insisting he “can’t see him not making the squad” if Steve Borthwick opens the door to a comeback.

The former England captain has quickly made an impression on his new team-mates as well. Tom Curry has described Lawes as being physically “the same, if not better”, while highlighting the calming influence and experience he has brought to the group.

George Ford has been similarly struck by Lawes’ condition and consistency in training, saying the forward has not missed a session and barely makes an error. The fly-half believes that reliability, allied with Lawes’ ability to simplify situations as a leader, is characteristic of the very best players.

Despite an abundance of back-row options, Lawes’ return to English rugby has come at an opportune time. Not only are Borthwick’s side experiencing a blip in their World Cup cycle, but the coach has also made the tactical shift towards fielding a bigger blindside flanker – a profile that suits Lawes perfectly.

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“I swear he grows an inch every time I see him,” Sanderson said at the PREM launch at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium. “And this is as much about his presence as it is about physical size. He’s so grounded. He’s the kind of bloke that I want to grow to be. I have a conversation and I’ve come away from that probably taking more than what he has when I’m trying to coach him.

“So I’ve been hugely impressed, not just by that, but his altruistic nature. He’s there for the group, not for himself. And moreover, he’s coming in to play in the last World Cup, and it might be about picking and choosing. There’s been none of that. He’s all in. We have to pull him back rather than raise him up.

“I do [back him to play for England this autumn]. I’m ridiculously biased to my players. That’s all I’ve been looking at, so I’ll be positive. I’d be surprised if he isn’t. The way he’s moving, the way he’s talking, I’ve had experience of other people of his calibre – Maro, for example – I can’t see him not making the squad. It’s probably on us playing well as a group and that will give him the platform.”

Curry, who has lined up alongside Lawes in the back row on many occasions for both England and the British and Irish Lions, speaks like a man who does not expect to be playing alongside him solely in Sale colours next season. He said: “We had a good week last week. You see him as a person, but also physically as a player, and he’s still the same, if not better. He’s more diligent, and even chatting to him about certain bits around the breakdown, just the way he speaks and his experiences will be really cool. So, yeah, the first weekend has been pretty special.

“He’s great because you don’t see someone six-foot-whatever who’s got the skill set of a five-foot-nine person. You can’t really pigeonhole him into this sort of category because he’s just great at everything.

“But I think, going beyond that, the biggest thing is how much of a calming influence he is. He’s very level-headed, and his ability to just be consistent and stay at that sort of level is great.

“I think it’s probably what we needed. As a club, we ride high, so to have someone who’s able to bring that is going to be exciting.”

Ford added: “Obviously, he’s been away for a couple of years with Brive. But from what I’ve seen in training, the Courtney of what you saw when he was playing his best at England, his physicality, the size of him and the impacts he has in the physical side of the game is huge.

“But he looks fit. He looks like he’s moving well. He’s not missed a session. He looks running fit. His skills are always unbelievable. The one thing I would say, and I said this last week, he just doesn’t make mistakes in training, just doesn’t make any errors. You’ll go from session to session, day to day and he won’t make one error.

“And I think that’s what the best players in the world do. They’re just consistently really, really good at that. So that’s him as an individual. I think what else he’s brought, he’s got loads of experience with him, but he just manages to sum things up in very few words from a leadership perspective, which cuts all the rubbish out sometimes.

“I think that’s invaluable to us really. He’s almost, ‘This is how it is, let’s go and do it,’ and just simplifying that process from a leadership perspective. So it’s great to have him back.”