Sale Sharks set to confirm Courtney Lawes' signature

Sale Sharks are set to confirm the arrival of former England flanker Courtney Lawes, who, it has been announced, is leaving French club Brive at the end of the season.

The former England skipper, 37, has spent the last two seasons playing in the Pro D2, but the club revealed on Monday morning that he would be returning to the Gallagher PREM next season.

Lawes, who quit international rugby following the 2023 World Cup in France, led Northampton Saints to their PREM title win in a decade in 2024 and has made 17 appearances for Brive this season, scoring one try.

The Saints legend, who made over 150 appearances for the Franklin’s Gardens outfit in 17 years, had been linked with a move across the East Midlands to Leicester Tigers, but we understand that he is heading to Greater Manchester instead.

Sharks boss Alex Sanderson has made no secret of his desire to take big names to the club, and Lawes is set to become his ninth signing ahead of next season.

He will be the third England international, after Alex Lozowski and Joe Marchant, to join the club, and it will raise the possibility that he will reverse his international retirement and make himself available to Steve Borthwick once again.

Borthwick can only take players to Australia who are playing in the Gallagher PREM, and Lawes, who has won 105 caps for his country and another five for the Lions, would be selectable again following a move to the Sharks.

Lawes has vowed to help Brive into the Pro D2 play-offs at the end of the season, giving them a shot at a return to the Top 14 before he leaves for home.

“I’m having an experience in Brive that I’ll never forget, both on and off the pitch. I’m going to give it my all until the end of the season to finish this adventure with CAB in the best possible way.

“My family and I have been very warmly welcomed in Corrèze, and we will always have Brive at heart,” he said after announcing his exit on Monday morning.