Sanderson backs Lawes to force England recall and fulfil 2027 World Cup dream

Alex Sanderson has backed Courtney Lawes to work his way back into England contention this season, insisting the 37-year-old Sale Sharks back-rower remains on Steve Borthwick’s radar despite being left out of the Nations Championship training camp this week.

Lawes, who earned the last of his 105 England caps in the 2023 Rugby World Cup semi-final defeat to South Africa, returned to the Premiership from French club Brive with one stated ambition: to finish his career at the 2027 World Cup in Australia and win it. Sanderson believes that goal is far from out of reach.

“He wants to finish it with the World Cup and win a World Cup. That’s his ambition,” Sanderson said. “But it’s not all about what he just wants, is it? He’s got to play well, perform, and he gets that as well — if I do well for Sale, then I’ll get to that. It’s very process-driven.”

Sanderson acknowledged that Lawes faces stiff competition from Ollie Chessum, George Martin, and Maro Itoje in the immediate term, and that England had indicated there was little value in bringing him into camp simply to make up numbers. But the Sale head coach suggested the picture could look very different by the Six Nations.

“I’d be surprised, once we’ve found form, if he wasn’t included in the Six Nations or the World Cup moving forward,” Sanderson said. “Given how he’s playing, he’s just getting better, isn’t he? He’s finding his feet in the Prem again after having a year or two off.”

Lawes has made five appearances for Sale since his return, and Sanderson pointed to a recent performance against Harlequins — featuring turnovers and three lineout wins — as evidence that the veteran is rediscovering his best form. He also noted that Lawes had played four consecutive games for the first time in three years.

“He wasn’t having a massive amount of impact in the first couple of games,” Sanderson admitted. “It doesn’t look like he was off the pace, he was stacking up physically, but he just wasn’t having the same impact as Courtney can. And then against Quins, he produced steals, three lineouts. He has got that in him.”

Sanderson also highlighted the adjustment Lawes has had to make returning from the Pro D2, where breakdown laws are applied more loosely than in the Premiership, suggesting that transition is now well underway. With the Six Nations on the horizon and the World Cup two years away, Sale’s head coach is clearly confident his veteran back-rower still has a significant role to play on the international stage.