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Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer
PARIS, France — England and British & Irish Lions forward Courtney Lawes has announced he will retire from international duty after Friday’s bronze medal match against Argentina in the Rugby World Cup.
Lawes, 34, has won 105 caps for England, and played five Test matches for the Lions on their 2017 and 2021 tours. He goes down as one of the great forwards in English rugby, having been equally adept at second-row and in the back-row but this will be his final tournament in the famous shirt.
Lawes will continue playing for Northampton Saints, but said soon after England’s heart-breaking 16-15 defeat to South Africa in the semifinal on Saturday this would be his final competition.
“This was my last World Cup. The kids are at that age where they need their dad around,” Lawes said. “It will be good to be with them more, to provide some well needed structure to the mob.
“It’s a bit of an end of an era, but it’s been a real honour for me to represent England for so long. It flies by. I’m proud of the journey I’ve been on. It’s not always been the ups. Plenty of downs in there, but I’ve pushed through.
“I’m not an emotional person really, but it’s just been a huge honour for me, to be honest. To be able to finish with this group, it’s something I’ll treasure forever.”
When asked to sum up Lawes’ impact in an England jersey, coach Steve Borthwick said: “Well I think we could talk about his trademark Courtney Lawes low tackles, that cut the attackers down in their path. What I see in Courtney is somebody who covers the ground, and in crucial moments finds himself in the right place at the right time, just so often.
“That’s a real sign of the intelligence of the player, a sign of the understanding of the player, the player just being in the moment. And that’s what he continues to do. More than 100 caps now, and you can see how hungry he is to help the team by the way he runs.”
Lawes admitted he hadn’t yet told Borthwick of his plans to retire, but said it was common knowledge. “I will let him know,” Lawes said. “But I’ve said to the boys, anyone that’s asked. I think it’s time. I’ve done four World Cups, so I’m pretty happy with that.”
Lawes was vice-captain for England at the World Cup and has captained his country 12 times. His England career saw him win three Six Nations titles in 2016, 2017 and 2020 while he also started the World Cup final in 2019.
“I think, as hard as it is being away from your family and stuff like that, you almost have another family,” Lawes said. “You really feel like that, especially when you’re away in camps like World Cup camps.
“It’s five months, staying with your brothers. I’ll definitely miss the boys, the banter and all the stuff we get up to when we’re not training. I’ll miss the hard work as well. And I’ll definitely miss pulling the jersey on and giving it everything.”
When asked what his best memory was, Lawes said: “I have so many. I think in general from the last World Cup to this one, the group of lads we’ve had coming through, I’ve really enjoyed being part of the group. You can see what it really means for us to play for each other.
“When you come up against teams like South Africa, where everyone thinks you’re going to get slaughtered, and you find another level for each other. So I’ll miss this group of boys specifically. We’ve had a lot of good times with these lads.”