Courtney Lawes still dishes it out but is not so hit and miss

If anyone was in doubt that Courtney Lawes can still deliver big hits with the best of them, then look no further than Owen Farrell‘s ribcage.
A shuddering tackle from the Northampton Saint on his England counterpart sent reverberations around Allianz Park last weekend and reminded everyone that Lawes is, essentially, a freak of nature.
At 6ft 7in, 18st 8lb (118 kg) and still only 25, Stuart Lancaster had a rough diamond on his hands when he took over two years ago.
What he has now is fast becoming the jewel in the crown.
Lawes himself is at pains to paint himself now as a more mature lock, a man for all seasons, rather than just a walking highlight reel.
From playground bully, Lawes became the class geek when he started running the lineout for England alongside Saints mate Dylan Hartley.
But physicality remains the strongest weapon in Lawes’ arsenal, even if it is ball-carrying, and not big hits that have really got his juices flowing recently.
“I’m getting my hands on the ball quite a bit more than in the past and I’m enjoying it,” he said. “When I was 20, 21 ball-carrying was not something I really did but instead it was about big hits.
“Then when injuries started I lost my confidence a bit and couldn’t really read the game well enough to get involved and get my hands on the ball.
“It’s a part of my game that I’ve had to work on and I feel like I’m improving there all the time, it’s something I enjoy.
“The big tackles are nice, but it’s not all about that for me, you have got to make all your tackles first and foremost. Obviously when the chance comes to make a big one you want to take it but those are just bonuses really.”
How did it feel then to let loose on Sunday when England cohort Farrell appeared in his sights?
“I probably should have dropped Owen a text after that shouldn’t I? I caught him with a good one,” he admitted. “But Owen is a great guy, he knows it’s all part of the game and he got straight up so fair play to him.”
All this speaks of a growing maturity in the Northampton second-rower, 30 times capped by his country since his 2009 debut.
Indeed Lawes is now a father to baby Nell and with more responsibility off the pitch, so his focus on the field has shifted as well.
“I’m just growing up, as you do in life, so I think I am doing the same as a rugby player. I am different lad to the one that I used to be for sure,” he added.
“It’s more competitive now than it was when I first broke through, you cannot afford to rest on your laurels.
“But even back then I was so keen to make sure that I reached my potential as a rugby player that I didn’t take care and I think that’s why I spent so long out of the game.
“I feel more mature of course I do, and you can see that in how I play.”
There can be little doubt that external factors have also played a huge part in Lawes’ development.
Injury to Geoff Parling forced him to become lineout leader and threw him together with Joe Launchbury, a pairing that is fast becoming the envy of world rugby.
“Joe and I were always going to be a great partnership,” said Lawes. “As players we match up really well as a pairing and as people I get on really well with him as well.
“The second row is not quite like the centres in that sense, there you need to have such a great understanding, in the second row you are not quite so intertwined.
“We complement each other, Joe is world class at some things and I am world-class at others and I think it matches up very well.
“There’s a lot of competition out there but I’d like to point out that Joe and I are still the youngest two so we have still got the most potential.”
CHARLIE TALBOT-SMITH