Courtney Lawes’ Return to English Rugby
Courtney Lawes is set to make a return to English rugby for the upcoming season, reigniting hopes that he might rejoin the England squad ahead of the 2027 World Cup. The 37-year-old forward, who once captained the national team, has accumulated 105 caps for England and five with the British & Irish Lions. He stepped away from Test rugby after the 2023 World Cup.
Over the past two seasons, Lawes has been playing for Brive, a second division side in France. However, on Monday, his current club confirmed that he will be returning to England, with Sale Sharks emerging as the most likely destination.
Lawes spent his entire club career with Northampton before moving to Brive. It is anticipated that Manchester-based Sale Sharks could officially announce his signing as early as Tuesday. A return to PREM Rugby opens the door for Lawes to potentially re-enter the England squad for the 2027 World Cup.
“I’m having an experience in Brive that I’ll never forget, both on and off the pitch,” Lawes said in a French press release that did not specify his next move. “I’m going to give it my all until the end of the season to finish this adventure in the best possible way. My family and I have been very warmly welcomed, and we will always have Brive at heart.”
Lawes is expected to be joined at Sale next season by another English international currently based in France, Stade Francis centre Joe Marchant. Additionally, Alex Lozowski of Saracens will also be joining Alex Sanderson’s side.
Sale Sharks are set to face Irish giants Leinster in a European Champions Cup quarter-final clash on Saturday. However, their performance in the PREM league has been underwhelming, with only three wins out of 12 games. Director of rugby Geoff Parling has been seeking to strengthen his back-row, engaging in talks with England flanker Chandler Cunningham-South. Despite these discussions, the deal fell through due to financial reasons, and Cunningham-South re-signed with Harlequins.
The 2026-27 season will mark Lawes’ 20th year as a professional player. Last month, he told Daily Mail Sport that he still believes he has much to offer at the top level. The tough-tackling back-row had discussions with Leicester Tigers and was interested in several other PREM clubs, but Sale appears to have secured his signature.
“I’m looking to do one more season,” Lawes said. “That’ll round me off to 20 years as a professional. I think I’m still performing at quite a high level, so I don’t really want to stop yet.”
He added: “I’ve known Geoff Parling (Leicester head coach) for a long time. Ultimately, the offer wasn’t quite right. I won’t be playing for Leicester, but I appreciated the sentiment nonetheless. For a Northampton man like me to go and play for Leicester would have caused quite a ruckus.”
Reflecting on his time in France, Lawes shared: “It’s been fantastic. All my kids are now fluent French speakers, and that’s a great life skill for them. I don’t regret moving out here whatsoever. The rugby’s been very different, but enjoyable. It’s a really good group of lads. Life’s great. The weather’s good. I can’t really complain.”
