The Last Dance inspiring Ollie to find his groove
Lawrence feels he has England point to prove
OLLIE Lawrence is talking about the people who inspired him. He grew up playing and watching a lot of different sports, so there were several of them. One could be alongside him on Saturday and another could be opposite him.
But let’s start with one who will not be anywhere near Murrayfield and the Six Nations. ‘ Michael Jordan was probably my biggest sporting idol,’ says the Bath and England centre, who is primed for a recall against Scotland after a hip injury. ‘When I was younger, I didn’t watch much American sport, but when The Last Dance came out, that opened my eyes to him as a character and everything he achieved in his career.
‘It wasn’t just his professionalism, but the way he drove standards in the group and his desire to be the best. That resonated with me and is something I want to be. I want to be part of winning teams and do all the small things that add up.
‘If you look at his career, you can see the ups and downs he went through and how much he managed to pull it around and get a team together to be successful. He wasn’t perfect, he had his flaws, but no one is perfect. The characteristics he had and the standards he held himself to were infectious.’
There is an obvious follow-up question — who in rugby typifies Jordan’s qualities? Lawrence is talking to Mail Sport at the Recreation Ground in Bath and lowers his voice, because the person is within ear-shot — Finn Russell, a club team-mate but a rival this weekend.
‘He’s sitting just behind me, so I don’t want to big him up too much,’ he says. ‘But the way he is, how calm he is and the way he does things with so much ease, it is impressive. He’s one of the best fly-halves in the world and that is infectious. When you have someone like that, you have faith you can win games.’
Back to Lawrence’s idols. ‘ In cricket, it was Kevin Pietersen,’ he says. ‘In golf, it was Tiger Woods. In rugby, it was Sonny Bill Williams and Manu Tuilagi.’
When he was emerging as a teenage prospect in Birmingham, Lawrence looked up to Tuilagi. Now he is in an England squad with him and has played in midfield with him. The trouble was that he was always being compared to the man he admired, although the 24-year- old would like to think he is no longer perceived as Manu Mk II.
‘Some might still categorise us as the same player, but what me and Manu bring to the party can be similar, but is also very different,’ he says. ‘He’s a lot more powerful and heavier than me. His impact at the line and his ball- carrying are massive. The way he has played for England over the years has been incredible.
He was an idol of mine, so to play with him was amazing.
‘He’s gone from an idol to a friend. He has always supported me in my journey and wanted the best for me. He has been unlucky with injuries, but he’s one of the best centres who has ever pulled on an England jersey.’
Lawrence is hell-bent on forcing himself into that exalted category and has plenty of pedigree as a natural sportsman, who could turn his hand-eye co-ordination to many ball games.
‘I grew up in a little village near Harborne,’ he says. ‘I had a good upbringing. My parents sacrificed a lot to send me to schools that gave me opportunities academically and in sport, but sport took priority! In football, I started off at the Birmingham City academy, then I ended up at Aston Villa for a bit. My dad is a Wolves fan, but I support Chelsea. I went to a sports shop to buy a shirt with my dad and he was hoping I’d pick the orange (Wolves) one but I ended up picking a blue one with a Chelsea badge and that was it. I was only four. Dad hated it, but I’ve stuck with them.
‘I played a lot of cricket and was at Warwickshire from 10 until I was 15. I wish I could still play but I don’t have time. In the summer it’s nice to go down to the local cricket club, see mates and watch a game. I watch it on TV as well. If I do have time, I will pop home and play for the seconds or the thirds.’
These days, Lawrence finds the time to play golf and enjoys gaming. Another passion is fashion. He names Anthony Watson as a rugby player with sartorial style, but his own preference is for baggy clothes and trainers.
Like Tuilagi, he also has a fondness for body art. ‘I’ve got so many tattoos,’ says Lawrence. ‘I had a puzzle one done which has meaning, that you can’t fit into every piece of the puzzle so just be yourself. I got that in 2020. I am quite an impulsive person, so I just decided I liked the meaning behind it. All my tattoos have a meaning. I’ve got loads for my grandparents and parents. I’ve got my whole back done and they are all personal to me.’
On the field, Lawrence has found extra meaning in his rugby career since being made unemployed by the collapse of Worcester, where he had come through the ranks. Bath gave him a fresh start last season and he responded with a stunning purple patch which led to him being named Premiership Player of the Year.
IT also led to an England recall in last year’s Six Nations and Lawrence marked his return with a thunderous display against Italy. He emphatically seized his second chance at Test level after a difficult first phase of his international career, when he was picked by Eddie Jones but underused as an attacking weapon of mass destruction.
‘It just didn’t quite click for me then,’ he says. ‘To an extent there was an immature side. I was 21 and probably trying to chase the game and big moments, then getting lost in all of it. That setback probably helped springboard me to where I got to last season.’
Phase two with England has been much more productive, but he was a fringe figure at the World Cup and limited game-time left him determined to make a point when he returned to Bath.
‘I came back from the World Cup with an element of frustration so I just wanted to showcase what I can do,’ he says. ‘I have some fond memories of the World Cup, but it definitely ignited a spark in my game. I came back with a hunger to prove myself.’
Lawrence has done that emphatically with a series of masterful displays for his club to set him up for another shot at England selection.
Adversity has inspired him of late, just as his idols did years ago.