Dominant Courtney Lawes takes game to another level

Courtney Lawes has established himself as one of world rugby's foremost locks, insists his Northampton second row partner Christian Day.
A stand-out performer for England during an impressive autumn series, Lawes took responsibility for running the lineout and, along with Joe Launchbury, put New Zealand's highly-rated duo of Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock in the shade.
That did not surprise Day, who praised his much-improved colleague for the work he has put into developing his game since the 2011 World Cup.
“It's pleasing to see how Courtney's been playing for England because he'll probably admit last season wasn't his best” Day told The Rugby Paper.
“This year, however, he's been one of Saints' top performers. He's a hugely physical specimen but he's added a lot more game-understanding and intelligence and, as we saw against New Zealand, he's not just carrying the ball but distributing as well.
“He was still making all those big hits in defence but also ran the lineout very well. I think he's added tremendously to his game this year and has realised he can't just be seen as a guy who knocks over fly-halves. He wants to be truly world-class.
“He showed through the Autumn Internationals that he is now a world-class player and I hope he carries on performing like he has been in a Saints shirt. I'll certainly be giving him a kick up the backside if he doesn't!”
Unsung hero Day, 30, can probably consider himself unfortunate not to be featuring alongside Lawes in England's engine room.
Northampton's ‘Mr Dependable' is one of the first names on the teamsheet and has played a key role in establishing the Saints as a European powerhouse since jumping aboard the Franklin's Gardens bandwagon from Sale in 2008.
Day played all through England's age groups, winning an U21s grand slam in 2004, and represented the Saxons twice in 2011. But that all-important first senior cap has eluded him, although the desire still burns bright.
“Of course you're disappointed not to be capped,” Day said. “Geoff Parling was in my age group the whole way through and I was more often than not ahead of him, so it does make you wonder why things never worked out.
“There were a couple of times when I was probably close, but injuries weren't kind and, at the end of the day, if I don't get picked by England, I don't get picked. But all I can do is continue trying to play well for my club.”
A Premiership winner with Sale in 2006, Day believes Northampton now have what it takes to push for the game's big prizes. And he has not been this enthused over a batch of new signings since Jason Robinson joined Sale in 2000.
Day explained: “In terms of recruitment, it's been a while since I was as excited about players arriving as during the summer. I can only compare the arrival of George North and Kahn Fotuali'i with Jason arriving from rugby league.
“Alex Corbisiero's one of the premier looseheads, too, so we did some good business and those players have driven players who were already at the club to greater things, as we've seen with Lee Dickson and Alex Waller, who've been outstanding.
“The club's made big strides in the last 12 months and is looking to cement itself as one of the major powers in England. We've got a top class coaching team in place and a great group of players, so we're looking to lift that big trophy.”
After losing the 2011 Heineken Cup final to Leinster, Saints also came up short in last season's Premiership final to Leicester. But Day insists failure is all part of the learning process and, like other big teams, their day will come.
He added: “We shouldn't be down about reaching two big finals and losing. You've only got to look at the great teams in Europe like Munster, Leinster and Clermont to see that sometimes it takes more than one go to win something.
“But, as teams like Wasps have shown, once you get that winning habit you can win a ton of them. We now have seasoned internationals who've played in lots of big games, so the next time we're there we'll hope to pick up the trophy.”
NEALE HARVEY