LAWES: I NEEDED KICK UP THE BUM

IF EDDIE JONES ever forgets Courtney Lawes’s Pennyhill Park room number, the England coach looks for a used room-service tray outside the door. Club sandwiches are part of the secret behind Lawes’s 17st 5lb physique, with the forward challenged to maintain his body weight in a quest to become the enforcer in England’s pack. Now 28 and going into his eighth Six Nations, Lawes is heavier than ever and tipped to become a leading force at next year’s World Cup in Japan. ‘Eddie was clear that if I don’t improve, I won’t be in the team,’ said Lawes, who faces fierce competition from Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Joe Launchbury, Nick Isiekwe and Charlie Ewels. ‘I had to get better. Sometimes you need a kick up the bum to make you realise you’re wasting your potential. ‘I’m the fittest I’ve ever been, no matter what weight. I can run further, get up quicker. ‘Eddie has made a massive improvement to us all in terms of fitness and being able to carry on in the most difficult situations. A lot of it is mental.’ Scrum coach Neal Hatley recognises big improvements. ‘For a big man, he moves well and his footwork at the line has come on,’ said Hatley. ‘He’s a much more effective ball carrier through his agility and footwork, instead of just bludgeoning his way through. He always had a lot of natural talent. You don’t have 40 caps by being happy-go-lucky. ‘But now he’s realised how much more he has to give. If he needs a club sandwich to help him, then he can have one. Not all players are club sandwichtype players, though!’ Lawes’s mobility makes him an option at lock or flanker but he has set his sights on England’s No 6 jersey. ‘I’ll play wherever I’m picked, but I definitely prefer playing six,’ said Lawes. ‘You spend more time in the looser play. That means you’ll get a couple more carries, which is a good thing for me.’ Lawes will unleash his carrying threat on Italy in Rome on Sunday and he added: ‘We’re going to hunt them and see how they deal with what we take to them.’