Former England captain Lawes comes out of international retirement

April 7 : Former England captain Courtney Lawes said he was "officially un-retiring" from international rugby after Sale Sharks agreed a deal to sign the former England and British and Irish Lions forward for the 2026-27 season.

The 37-year-old won 105 caps for England during a 14-year international career including four World Cups before retiring from internationals after the 2023 World Cup.

"I'm officially un-retiring from international duty and I'd love to play for England again," Lawes said in a statement on the Sale website.

"But first and foremost I want to play well for Sale and we'll see what happens after that."

Lawes will join Sale on a one-year contract after two seasons in France with Brive, and said he hopes strong form in the Premiership could yet earn him another call-up under England coach Steve Borthwick.

At club level, he made almost 300 appearances for Northampton Saints, captaining them to the Premiership title in 2024 before leaving for Brive.

Lawes, who can play at lock or in the back row, said the move back to England was driven by a desire to finish his career at the highest level, adding that Sale were one of only a small number of clubs he would consider returning to the Premiership for.

"My body feels good and I'm still performing at a high level," Lawes said. "I feel like I can compete with the best of them, and then some, and I think if I retired now, I'd probably regret it when I was older."

Sale director of rugby Alex Sanderson said Lawes' leadership and experience would be a major addition to the squad: "He's coming back to try and win trophies and play international rugby again and he believes he can do that with us."