The big interview: Tom Vickers talks to Saints lock Temo Mayanavanua

The Fiji lock says his main knowledge of Saints prior to joining the club from Lyon during the summer came from watching Lawes from afar.

And now the two powerhouses are part of the same Saints pack.

"Saints contacted me while I was in contact with other clubs in France," Mayanavanua explained.

"I’d always heard about Northampton Saints growing up. I watched some clips of Courtney just bashing number 10s here and there, that’s when I first recognised Saints.

"When they contacted me, it was pretty much an easy decision for me and my family, in terms of language wise. It makes a lot of things easier.

"My wife is more free to do stuff around here. It has been good."

And when asked about getting to play alongside Lawes, Mayanavanua said: "It’s unreal. It’s those kind of moments where I’d say I cherish.

"I’ve played alongside a couple of big names, and just to play alongside him, the experience he has, the presence he has in the team, it’s unreal."

Saints will be hoping that Mayanavanua and Lawes can form the kind of big-hitting combination that the club legend enjoyed with Samu Manoa a decade ago.

Back then, the 'Bruise Brothers' helped the black, green and gold to take their physicality levels to new heights while also showcasing plenty of skill.

And Mayanavanua said: "The Saints have that mixture of wanting to play. I personally also want that so it fits in perfectly."

It wasn't the easiest start to life in Northampton for Mayanavanua as he picked up a knee injury while playing for Fiji at the Rugby World Cup.

"It was 15 minutes into the game before the quarter-final against England - I did my PCL against Portugal," he explained.

"It was quite funny, as soon as I went down the doctors and physios said I’d done my ACL. For about two days I was fearing the worst. ACL is quite a big injury.

"I got a proper scan done in London and they said I’d done my PCL so I was out for six weeks.

"It could’ve been a whole season, a whole year but I am just really thankful and grateful that it’s not as bad as we thought.

"Overall, the World Cup was just unreal. There was a really good bunch of men there with Fiji.

"I learned a lot and I was hungry to get back on the field."

Mayanavanua says the way Saints looked after his family and helped them to settle in Northampton while he was at the World Cup in France was a huge help.

He said: "Apart from the weather, everything else has been good.

"Players have been welcoming, the club has been really good in terms of helping my family out while I was away with the World Cup, so far so good.

"My wife and son had to move over on August 1. They moved straight away after my contract was done with Lyon.

"While I was away with Fiji, they were here. The club has been really helpful in visiting them, taking them out for shopping and stuff.

"I am just really very grateful.

"Some of the players’ wives, Lizzy, the team manager, came over and visited my wife and son a couple of times, took them out for grocery shopping.

"Those kind of things the club does, it goes a long way."

It made Mayanavanua's ability to focus fully on his recovery easier and he was finally able to make his Saints debut in the massive Gallagher Premiership match at Saracens last month.

He came on at half-time and impressed as his new club claimed a special 18-12 win at StoneX Stadium.

And Mayanavanua reflected: "As we know with Saracens they have a really good forward pack.

"Throughout the week when I knew that I was going to be playing, I prepared myself mentally, physically and I knew it was going to be a battle up front. so I made sure I fronted up.

"I stayed cool. When you’re too eager, you sort of mess things up.

"There are times where I had to calm myself down and be like ‘it’s just another game’, stay composed, stay cool and just do my job to the best of my ability.

"It’s a moment I will cherish forever."