Captain quite happy to lay down the Law
COURTNEY Lawes believes his willingness to challenge Eddie Jones convinced England’s head coach he should be appointed captain for the series against Australia.
Lawes will lead the tourists into today’s first Test in Perth after retaining the role he performed during Owen Farrell’s injuryenforced absence in the autumn and Six Nations.
Even with Farrell restored at inside centre having overcome his ankle issues, Jones has kept faith with the 33-year-old lock whose calm and thoughtful manner have stood out throughout a period of transition.
As a self-confessed “old geezer,” Lawes insists he is comfortable pushing back against Jones if it is in the best interests of the team.
He said: “Eddie wants to challenge himself.
“If I’m honest, I’m probably skipper because I think differently to him and I’m willing to challenge him as a leader. I think that’s why he’s kept me on.
“I’m a old geezer now and don’t mind saying what’s on my mind. I think he liked that approach.
“I’m more than willing to essentially get a feel of what the team needs.
“The coaches will have a feeling for what the team needs and then we’ll come to a compromise from there, instead of it all being one way in terms of we just do what the coaches say.
“I’ve made a lot of the lads comfortable around the team and that’s the team environment we want.”
Jones admitted anointing Lawes as the third significant captain of his reign after Dylan Hartley and Farrell has the potential to cause friction.
Farrell is the dominant figure of a squad he has led since 2018 and his demotion creates a new dynamic, prompting Jones to note: “It’s a difficult situation but they are both good players, good team-mates and they’re working it out.”
Two very different characters bring with them two very different approaches to the captaincy - but Lawes insists their personalities complement each other.
He added: “I’ve been working very closely with Owen.
“That first conversation we had after the captaincy decision was fine as I knew it would be.
“We work so well together. We’re almost polar opposites but in a good way.
“It feels great and being in this role is something I cherish - but it’s not just going to be me making all the decision on the field.
“It’s great to be able to contribute as much as I can to the team.”
England enter the series opener armed with an eight-Test winning run against Australia but Lawes see them as formidable opponents on home soil.
He went on: “It’s the middle of their season so they will be raring to go and in peak form.”
Michael Hooper insists Australia are using that dismal recent run against England as fuel for today’s series opener - and expects the matches to go down to the wire.
The captain said: “It’s motivation to win and turn the ledger. We have three games at home to do it.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve played these fellas out here so we’re excited about it.
“History hasn’t been in our favour for quite some time now against the English but we’re keen to let rip.”