Courtney Lawes Reflects on Northampton’s Gritty Premiership Title Triumph
Northampton Saints Skipper Pleased with Title, Despite Struggles
Courtney Lawes, the departing Northampton Saints skipper, admitted he was initially “annoyed” by his team’s poor performance in their tense 25-21 victory over Bath in the Gallagher Premiership final at Twickenham. Despite Bath playing the final 59 minutes with 14 men after prop Beno Obano was sent off for a high tackle, the Saints struggled to put the game to bed.
“I couldn’t believe we had actually won it because we tried so hard to lose,” the departing Lawes said after his 283rd and final appearance for the club before joining French side Brive. “At the end of the game, I was actually pretty pissed off. Slowly it has kind of settled in. We did what we needed to. We got across the finish line and that’s what rugby is.”
Lawes, one of the greats of the English game, acknowledged Northampton’s triumph may not have been a thing of beauty, but insisted they deserved the title given their displays throughout the season.
“Sometimes it doesn’t look pretty and it certainly didn’t today, but we won and that’s what matters. I think we’ve deserved it throughout the season,” the 35-year-old explained.
The decisive moment came late on when George Hendy’s break set up match-winner Alex Mitchell to score the decisive try, denying Bath a famous comeback victory despite their numerical disadvantage. Lawes, who arrived for the post-match press conference shirtless and wearing ski goggles, leaves the Saints with fond memories and a desire to contribute to the club in the future.
“There are a lot of things I will never do again at the Saints, but I owe the club so much. It won’t be the last time I contribute something to the club,” Lawes said. “I’m just really happy to have been able to deliver what the club deserves, really.”
The victory capped a remarkable season for the Northampton rugby union side, who now turn their attention to building on this triumph as they look to establish themselves as a force in the bbc rugby union, rugby union gameplay, rugby union scores, and rugby union news landscape.
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