Courtney Lawes ‘not worried’ about performing on PREM return and reveals only three teams he would have joined
Courtney Lawes 'not worried' about performing on PREM return and reveals only three teams he would have joined
Former Northampton Saints captain Courtney Lawes has revealed that there were only ever three teams that he would have considered signing for after his two years in France.
The 37-year-old has recently confirmed his arrival at Sale Sharks ahead of the 2026/27 season, admitting that a return to Northampton wasn’t viable, despite his wishes to play at Franklin’s Gardens again.
“I’d have loved to play for Saints,” Lawes told Ben Youngs and Dan Cole on the For The Love Of Rugby podcast.
Admitting that his options were limited, he continued: “There are only a couple of clubs I would have played for. Two or three, maybe in the PREM I think, Bath, Sale and Saints.
“But Sale was the second choice for me, with my missus’ family growing up near there, and they all support Sale, so that was quite a nice thing to be able to do.”
For Saints fans, it will be strange to see Lawes back in the PREM in different colours after the best part of his career spent at Northampton, but Lawes insists that it doesn’t change the way he feels about his former club.
“I did feel bad in a way to not be returning to Saints. But that’s not always how it works. You can’t have everything exactly how you want it. And I’m quite happy with how it’s gone,” he said.
“Northampton Saints will always be my hometown club, and I’ll always support them, even if I’m playing against them. But again, I get an opportunity to do something that not many people have.”
How Lawes decided on Sale
It wasn’t a long, drawn-out process deciding on his next move. With the 2027 World Cup on the horizon and the allure of international duty calling him back, the giant back-rower quickly made up his mind.
Admitting to having held no talks with Sale boss Alex Sanderson at the time of signing, Lawes said: “I only spoke to Westy [Dorian West]. Westy was my first-ever professional forwards coach. So we go back a long, long way.
“I was chatting to him for a bit, and he was asking about how I was feeling in my body, how much I played and stuff, and touch wood, I’ve been going really well out here.
“I played 40-odd games for Brive and still feel like I’m moving really well and still able to do some pretty unique things on the pitch, which is great. So he was like, ‘Let’s just get this done, chief’.”
Uprooting his relaxed life in France, Lawes will be returning to Manchester with his wife and kids – a decision not to be taken lightly.
“I didn’t really have any interactions with anyone. It was just between me and my wife. We sat down, and we had to think about everything and how things would work. We spoke to her mom and dad, because we’re going to be moving in with them.”
A return to the PREM
The former England captain has been enjoying his time in the second division of French rugby for the past two years, which provides a very different challenge to what he will encounter when he returns to England. But he’s not concerned about still being able to mix it with the very best.
“I’m not worried about being able to come back and perform. I’ve been the same my whole career. I’m gonna give it everything I’ve got, and if it’s not good enough, then I’m sorry, but that’s all you can do,” he explained.
“I need to get prepared for a tough season ahead, and I feel like if I prepare properly, and I do everything I need to do off the field and on it, then I’ll give myself a really good opportunity for next season.”
His time at CA Brive
Lawes has enjoyed his time in France, where even at Pro D2 side CA Brive, they get a crowd of “at least 10,000 up to 15,000, and the population here is only about 45,000 to 50,000.”
“CA Brive is the lifeblood of the town, and they treat it like football in the UK. It is near enough the number one sport, especially in the South of France.”
Despite the immense following and support that the club receives, it’s currently failing to live up to its 116-year history, which includes a Champions Cup victory in 1997 when they famously beat Leicester Tigers in the final, before losing the final in the following season to Bath Rugby.
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“It’s difficult for a lot of the French teams to maintain a team culture because the turnover is so high,” explained Lawes.
“The season before I came, they made 17 changes. This season, there’s going to be similar, if not more. So it’s really difficult to create a cohesive team environment when your team’s changing so often. I think that’s something that they’re going to have to change if they want to be a successful, long-term team.
“Because you can’t really gel as a team in that short period of time. It can take three, four, maybe five years to really settle in as a team.”
