‘He’s got better and better’ – Courtney Lawes receives ultimate accolade from former team-mate who urges Northampton to become ‘dynasty team’
Tom Wood is a big admirer of former Northampton team-mate Courtney Lawes.
Tom Wood has revealed where Courtney Lawes stands on the list of greats he played alongside – and why he is feeling anxious ahead of the Northampton legend’s farewell at Franklin’s Gardens.
Brive-bound Lawes lines up against Saracens in the first Friday night Premiership semi-final Saints have hosted since Wood brought the house down with his late try to beat arch-rivals Leicester a decade ago.
He does so with former England captain Wood lost in admiration for the body of work compiled by the more recent Red Rose skipper in 110 England and Lions Tests and 281 Saints appearances.
Raw promise
“When I first joined Northampton I remember this real raw athlete who flew onto the scene, levelling people in the tackle. Within his first six months Courtney had a YouTube highlights reel to rival the best,” Wood told Planet Rugby.
“All he wanted to do was run round and belt people. He wasn’t talking in team huddles, he wasn’t leading in the week, he wasn’t developing the team culture and things like that. Just getting on with his business.
“Yet ask me now who the best player is that I’ve played with and Courtney’s name is the first that comes to mind. Over 15 years at the top he’s got better and better.”
Wood has been around to see almost all of it happen, the hard work behind the scenes that never makes the match day reports.
“Week after week, with Northampton and England, Courtney would do these little ‘ball carrying off nine’ drills after training,” he said of a player who has just beaten Siya Kolisi, Andy Farrell, Wayne Barnes and Jacques Nienaber to the prestigious Pat Marshall award for outstanding rugby personality of the year – and been named Saints captain for tomorrow.
“To be honest it almost looked remedial at times and I questioned how it was going to have an impact,” he said.
“Look at him playing now, how good his footwork is off nine, how hard he is to knock back, how good he is at getting his arms free and offloading, how subtle he is with his little tip-ons.
“For a tall, rangy guys it’s hard to carry in those close-quarters because, although he’s big, he’s got a high centre of gravity. People tend to get knocked back, but he rarely does. He gets through a ton of work.
“Then there’s his leadership. From that quiet guy to start with who kept himself to himself, he has become someone who thinks about the game a lot and when he speaks, people listen. He commands everyone’s attention with his authority and gravitas.”
Wood, as you might imagine, hopes Saints can give Lawes the send-off his career deserves, but he is well aware Saracens will be wishing the same for Owen Farrell and the Vunipola brothers, Mako and Billy.
Mention of the six-time champions makes Wood nervous. He knows Saints go in as top dogs and deserved favourites, he is also only too aware that guarantees nothing.
“I’ve got to be honest I’m nervous for the boys,” he says. “They’ve played so well this season, entertained, taken big scalps and deservedly topped the table. Problem is, none of that counts for anything on a Friday night in a semi-final.
“You can be the best all year, have the emotional drivers of senior guys moving on or retiring: Courtney, Lewis Ludlam, Ethan Waller, Alex Moon, Alex Waller (my business partner at Waller & Wood Woodworks)…
“But a mistake, a red card, a bad bounce of the ball or injuries to key men and you just know Saracens, with their championship-winning pedigree, are going to be bang up for it.”
Wood adds: “In some ways, this time of year, semi-finals, where do you want to be? Sneaking in at fourth with no-one really talking about you, no-one giving you the hype you feel you deserve given the calibre of player in your group and just rolling in under the radar?
“In 2013 we were that team. We finished fourth, Saracens first and we went there feeling no pressure and beat them. Two years later was their turn. We were top, flying high, confident and, well, you know the rest.
“I hate to be pessimistic or cautionary because it’s all in Saints’ favour. There are so many reasons to be positive and optimistic. But almost by definition that makes me nervous.
“Because I know how easy Saracens’ team talk is. How easy their preparation and motivation is. Frankly, from where they’ve been the last decade, no-one’s expecting that much of them. The pressure is on Saints to deliver and get all they deserve out of this season.”
Wood reverts to player mode for a moment, slipping back into the mentality that enabled him to win half a century of England caps and, for 11 years, serve Northampton with such distinction.
“It’s for us to enjoy the drama and jeopardy of the occasion, the Saints boys will be preparing as they would any game and being business-like,” he added. “They know they are good enough to beat Saracens because they’ve done it home and away already this season.
“They know if they play to their best they will beat them, if they execute what they’ve been doing all season they’ll get their reward. That’s all the focus has to be on.
“They’ve got to understand the magnitude, the scenario and not get caught up in the occasion too much. But the secret is to use the occasion to fuel you and not allow it to cloud or overwhelm you.”
Wood thinks back to that 2014 semi-final and his last-gasp try that lifted the roof off the Gardens.
“That evening was the best atmosphere I experienced at club level and rivalled the international games I was fortunate enough to play in,” he said. “Just incredible.
“We’d been nearly men for years and there we were beating Leicester of all teams in a semi-final on a Friday night having had Salesi Ma’afu sent off. It gave us the confidence to go to Twickenham and win the trophy a week later.”
At times like that you think the next trophy will quickly follow. In Saints’ case it has been a long time coming. Since that league and European Challenge Cup-winning campaign 10 years of dust has gathered.
Dynasty team
Wood believes this Northampton squad has the talent and the youth to become a “dynasty team”. Only he whispers it quietly for fear of jinxing the club he loves.
“Back in 2011, my debut season having just come from Worcester, we were three games from being Heineken Cup champions and Premiership winners and ended with nothing to show for it,” he continued.
“In my head I was thinking, ‘What a fantastic debut season, we’ve done so well, we’ve laid a benchmark, next year we will obviously go one better’. I never got near a Heineken Cup final again.
“It is a cruel world, sport. Things change so quickly. You have to take your opportunities, seize the moment, because there’s no guarantee you’ll get it right the next season.
“There are so many variables between now and then that you just can’t account for. Saints have got the opportunity right now. They must grab it.”
