Courtney Lawes delighted to put injury problems behind him
Wednesday 9 November 2016 19:29, UK
England lock Courtney Lawes is looking forward to pulling on an England jersey once again when Eddie Jones' side take on South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
Lawes was an injury doubt for England's opening autumn international after withdrawing from Northampton Saints' matches against Montpellier and Gloucester last month due to bruising on the knee joint.
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However, after proving his fitness Lawes is ready to resume his second-row partnership alongside Joe Launchbury.
"I've not been very lucky with my injuries, especially last season," he told Sky Sports News HQ. "I had three six-week injuries so I just wanted to stay fit for a significant amount of time; enough time to get my form back.
"That was my main goal and I'm certainly on my way. I'm not there yet, but I'm on my way to getting back to the sort of form that I'm used to."
Lawes also revealed that head coach Jones has been working with him to improve his ball carrying ahead of the Old Mutual Wealth series.
"I dropped off with my carrying. When I was younger I used to carry way more than I had the previous season, so Eddie was hot on me for my carrying and getting around the park and making a big impact," he said.
"It's a confidence thing. You get used to carrying and if you stop carrying, you get used to not carrying, so it's about retraining your brain, getting used to patterns around the park and how you can get your hands on the ball."
Lawes' Northampton team-mate Tom Wood is back in the England fold for the first time under Jones, having been told by the Australian in January that he was "distinctly average".
"It's really good to see him back in the squad," added Lawes. "He's worked unbelievably hard in all facets of his game and I'm really proud of him.
"Is Eddie testing him when he says things like that? Woody is not a distinctly average player, he's a very good player, and I think Eddie just wanted to see his character. Woody has shown him that and that is why he's back here now."
