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Courtney Linford Lawes (born 23 February 1989) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for Pro D2 club CA Brive and formerly for the England national team.
Lawes attended Northampton School for Boys and is a product of Northampton Old Scouts, the same club that produced his former teammate Rob Milligan as well as Ben Cohen and Steve Thompson, amongst others.
In March 2010, Lawes was part of the side that beat Gloucester Rugby to win the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the following season saw him start in the 2011 Heineken Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium as Northampton finished runners up to Leinster Rugby.
In May 2013, Northampton were beaten by Leicester Tigers in the Premiership final however the following season saw Lawes play an integral part in Saints securing both the Premiership and European Rugby Challenge Cup titles in 2014. They beat Bath Rugby at Cardiff Arms Park to win the Challenge Cup and the following weekend defeated Saracens to win their first ever Premiership title.
Lawes was shortlisted for the Saints Supporters' Player of the Season in 2016/17 but lost out to teammate, Louis Picamoles.
After 17 years at Northampton Saints, Lawes announced on the 23rd of February 2024 that he would be leaving the club at the end of the 23/24 season to join French club CA Brive.
Courtney Lawes was inducted into the Rugby Players' Association Hall of Fame on the 29th April 2024. On the 23rd May 2024, Courtney Lawes was named in the English Premiership Team of the Season for 23/24.
In his last game for the club, Courtney Lawes captained Northampton Saints to their second English Premiership title on the 8th June 2024, beating Bath in the final at Twickenham, thus cementing his status as an all-time great for club and country.
In July 2009, Lawes was selected for the England Saxons squad and on 26 October 2009 he received his first call-up by coach Martin Johnson to the senior England squad. He made his England debut on 7 November 2009 in the 18–9 defeat against Australia at Twickenham, replacing Louis Deacon for the last twelve minutes of the match. He was included in the squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and started in their quarter-final elimination against France.
After the World Cup new coach Stuart Lancaster continued to select Lawes and in December 2012 he featured in a win over New Zealand. He was selected for the 2015 Rugby World Cup and featured in two pool games against Fiji and Wales as the hosts failed to make the knockout phase.
Lawes participated in the 2016 Six Nations Championship as England achieved their first Grand Slam in over a decade. He came off the bench in all three tests as England completed a series whitewash on their 2016 tour of Australia and later that year scored his first international try on his fiftieth cap against South Africa. The following year saw Lawes start in the last match of the 2017 Six Nations Championship which England lost away to Ireland ensuring they failed to complete consecutive grand slams and also brought an end to a record equalling eighteen successive Test victories.
Lawes was included in the squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He started all three knockout games against Australia in the quarter-final, victory over New Zealand in the semi-final and defeat to South Africa in the final as England finished runners up. Lawes was a member of the side that won the 2020 Six Nations Championship. On 6 November 2021, Lawes captained England for the first time, in a game against Tonga.
Lawes retired from international duty following the 2023 World Cup.[1]
Lawes was also selected by coach Warren Gatland for the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa. He started all three tests at flanker as the Lions lost the series 2–1.
| 37 – 21 | |||||||
| 2 | Nice, France | Allianz Riviera | 2023 Rugby World Cup | 17 September 2023 | Win | 34 – 12 |
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