Sale boss Alex Sanderson: Courtney Lawes can still fulfill his dream

Sale Sharks boss Alex Sanderson believes that veteran back-rower Courtney Lawes, who was left out of England’s Nations Championship training camp this week, will force his way into Steve Borthwick’s plans at some point this season.

Lawes, 37, has made five appearances for the Sharks since returning to the PREM from Brive, as he aims to end his career by playing in the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

The Northampton Saints legend won the last of his 105 England caps in the 2023 World Cup semi-final defeat to South Africa, before moving to France ruled him out of selection, and Sanderson believes it would take a brave man to bet against him winning more.

“If this is his last year, which he says it is, I think he might have another year in him. But his wife’s calling time. He wants to finish it with the World Cup and win a World Cup. That’s his ambition.

“But it’s not all about what he just wants, is it? He’s got to play well, perform, and he gets that as well, it’s like, if I do well for Sale, then I’ll get to that. It’s very process-driven.

“He is on the radar, but at this point with (Ollie) Chessum, (George) Martin and Maro (Itoje), I don’t think he’d get much of a look-in around the autumn, and they (England) said there’s no point in coming in and holding bags and stuff.

“I’d be surprised, once we’ve found form, if it wasn’t included in the Six Nations or the World Cup moving forward. Given how he’s playing, he’s just getting better, isn’t he? He’s finding his feet in the PREM again after having a year or two off.

“He wasn’t having a massive amount of impact or carrying the ball in the first couple of games. It doesn’t look like he was off the pace, he was stacking up physically, but he just wasn’t having the same impact as Courtney can.

“And then against Quins, he produced steals, three lineouts. He has got that in him. And we’re sorting out our breakdown decision-making, which is a lot looser in the Pro D2 than it is in the Prem, and that’s getting better.

“He played four games on the bounce, which he hasn’t done in three years. So there are real signs there,” Sanderson told RugbyPass on the club’s weekly media call.