Lawes in the mood to finish on a high

COURTNEY Lawes has set his sights on finishing what has been a frustrating season for last year’s England captain on a high with Northampton and making the England squad for France in what would be his fourth World Cup campaign

- PAUL REES

When Lawes led England to a series victory in Australia last summer, everything looked to be going for him but, after suffering a head injury in his first outing of the campaign for the Saints in September, one setback followed another and he has only made six appearances for the club together with 12 minutes off the bench for England against Wales in Cardiff.

“It has been a really frustrating season for me, especially coming off a tour like Australia when you were playing really good rugby and wanted to kick on this season and be the player I have always wanted to be,” said Lawes. “Sometimes it does not go like that and you cannot change it.

“It started with the head knock against Leicester but I damaged a nerve in the back of my neck that took for ever to get better. I pulled my glute and then tore my calf before the Six Nations and in the middle of the tournament I tore my lat in training, thought little of it and then made it worse in the gym.