Lawes desperate to keep delivering for Saints supporters after signing new deal

The 34-year-old has made 263 appearances for the black, green and gold since making his debut back in 2007.

Lawes has won a series of trophies and been one of Saints, England and the British & Irish Lions’ outstanding performers – solidifying his status as one of the club’s greatest players of all time.

Raised just a stone’s throw from the Gardens, Lawes initially rose through Saints’ Academy ranks and broke into the first team in time to help Saints win promotion back to the Premiership at the first time of asking.

Lawes lifted both the European Challenge Cup in 2009 and the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2010 with Saints, before a Heineken Champions Cup final followed in 2011.

He was then instrumental in the club's greatest season to date in 2013/2014, with the side claiming their first ever Premiership title and a second Challenge Cup trophy within eight days of each other.

Lawes was voted the club’s player of the season in 2019/20 by Saints supporters, and has since reached 250 appearances – his milestone coming against Ulster in January 2022.

He has also been almost an ever-present for England since his international debut against Australia in 2009, representing his country at three World Cups (and helping the Red Rose reach the final in 2019), and winning three Six Nations titles so far – including a first Grand Slam for 13 years in 2016.

He had the honour of captaining England throughout the 2021/22 season, and Lawes has also twice toured with the British & Irish Lions (in 2017 to New Zealand and 2021 to South Africa) earning five further Test caps in the process.

And Lawes is now looking forward to continuing life at Saints following a season in which injuries have restricted him to just six club appearances.

“The club means a lot to me personally, and I wanted to stay here – I especially didn’t want to leave at the end of a season where I’ve not played much, and I’ve not made as big a contribution as I would have wanted,” said Lawes.

“It wouldn’t have felt right to me to leave now, so I was really keen to continue at Saints for that reason, but also because it’s so important for us as a squad to continue to build on what we’ve done over the last few seasons.

“I feel like I can be a big help on that front, bringing plenty of experience and leadership to the group, and I believe that we have everything in place at Saints to win silverware in the near future.

“The club’s supporters are very important to me as well. The team’s ability and potential on the field speaks for itself, but the fans are also special, and I want to keep on delivering what I can for them in a Saints shirt.”