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Mon 19 Aug 2013 | 04:37
Courtney Lawes' devastating hit on hapless debutant in pre-season game vs Bedford Blues

29
Comments

Northampton Saints beat Bedford Blues 45-21 in a pre-season friendly on Friday night, but one of the moments of the match was when replacement lock Courtney Lawes made a massive, trademark hit on debutant Mike Le Bourgeois.

It was a baptism of fire for the summer signing from Jersey, as athletic England lock Lawes lined him up and absolutely smashed him. One could be mistaken for thinking Lawes was offside, but if you watch carefully he came from way back and covered the turf in no time at all.

Le Bourgeois endeared himself to the crowd by playing on, and managing to hide the relief at having survived the tackle from a player who has become known as a bit of a hitman.

WATCH: Courtney Lawes huge hit on Julien Tomas

"I’m just happy to have got up from it! It was just one of those where I didn't see him coming, but thankfully I was able to take it," Le Bourgeois told Bedfordshire News Sport.

It's a quick clip from Saints Rugby TV and the quality isn't great as the match wasn't broadcasted on TV, but it's a great example of incredible line speed by the big guy, and a perfectly executed tackle.

Posted By: Grant Constable

29 Comments

  • facepalm
    10:49 PM 24/08/2013

    I am willing to concede on Attwood as I've rarely seen him play. He's just never left any impression on me when I have. Including when he played for England.

  • facepalm
    10:30 PM 24/08/2013

    When has Lawes ever done something stupid? Show me.

    I agree with you on Croft. Croft drops off tackles and hangs on the wing. Lawes is not like Croft. I'm sick of people saying Lawes doesn't put in the grunt just because he's always on the highlights reel. Watch him play, please.

  • redrose2003
    5:03 PM 24/08/2013

    Haha Canadian Content I am not even a Tigers fan, and Despise Cockerill he is eveyrthing that is bad in the game being a dick to officials...

    However I stand by what I say Lawes like Hartley is one of those players who will do something stupid in a big match and Launchbury is very skilled.

    I think lawes like croft are players who make the highlight reel time and time again, but never seem to really do much apart from their signature moves, Lawes with his massive (and often late) hits and Croft with his brilliant runs, unfortunately both of them tend not to do all the hard graft and needed things like players like Tom Wood or Chris Robshaw..who have very well all round games

  • facepalm
    4:37 PM 24/08/2013

    He isn't the best second row in the world. I don't think anyone here is saying that. But remember injury has put his career behind by a year and a half. I predict him developing into one of England's most influential players by the world cup.

  • facepalm
    4:34 PM 24/08/2013

    Jordan Crane England lock? No thanks.

  • facepalm
    4:33 PM 24/08/2013

    I want to make it clear I think Launchbury is a good player. But he's not yet developed into the player commentators are saying he already is.

  • 12:40 PM 22/08/2013

    Revenge of the proletariat!

    Richard cockerill show yourself and stop masquerading as a rugby dump community member!

    Surely a lock should take every chance he gets to legally smash the ten!

    Is this not rugby!

  • drg
    1:09 PM 21/08/2013

    Fair point about worrying the fly half, I do agree with that.

    I'm definitely not saying Lawes is a bad player. But for me, I just don't see what he does that gets people putting his name down on their "top XV", or "Lions team predictions" etc etc for me, he seems to be one of those players you'd pick after a few others...

  • bunn
    11:03 PM 20/08/2013

    Johnston*

  • bunn
    11:03 PM 20/08/2013

    Northampton's performance director, Nick Johnson, said that Lawes is the most exceptional athlete that he has worked with. He also said the Chris Ashton was the fastest Northampton player over 40 meters and 5000.

  • 45678
    10:49 PM 20/08/2013

    As a left field suggestion, a fully fit Jordan crane type player could fill the void and play along side parling as a ball carrying lump - assuming croft is picked to jump in the line out. Not intended to be too many tigers playing, but hopefully you can see my rationale (maybe 2 years past sell by date though!)

  • 45678
    10:44 PM 20/08/2013

    Harsh on launchberry, considering his quick rise to prominence. He is a well rounded player and plays above the level his age would suggest. Still developing

    Agree, parling is one of England's best players. More than a line out technician. An intelligent player who picks good lines and has a huge tackle count. I think he would be a very good shout for captain whilst the back row is so competitive and neither robshaw or wood are guaranteed to start

    The role of the second row is changing. The era of the hard man has gone and has been replaced with athletes. I like players with an edge who can mix things up, but they are back 5 rather than front 5 forwards these days, especially if you want a fast looser game

    If croft was could scrummage, I think he would have a future at lock, but with him in the back row you can afford to have a player who isn't a line out specialist and offers something else

  • facepalm
    10:18 PM 20/08/2013

    Fourth of fifth in the pecking order?! Maybe lets first consider the fact there are just 3 other locks in the entire England squad and then consider who they are.

    Attwood - A good player for Bath, nothing really more than that. Played twice against Argentina this summer and I doubt he'll get many more caps for England.

    Launchbury - I feel overrated and bigged up too much. I love him for Wasps because he's clearly a good, good player but he's been made out to be a superstar by shoddy journalists before his time. Still a bench good option for England since he can also play 6 if absolutely necessary.

    Parling - England's best second row option. Wholly committed to the team cause. Would get into pretty much every side in the world. Line out skills to match anyone in the world.

  • 45678
    9:36 PM 20/08/2013

    Lawes is probably forth or fifth in the pecking order for England for the England second row now.The guy is a phenomenal athlete and does put in some huge hits. It's harsh to criticise all aspects of his play, because he is a pretty useful carrier, line out technician etc. highlighting outstanding players is an interesting way of having a downer on lawes. You could easily criticise those players for certain areas of their game. Bakkies, albeit a god in my english eyes is a limited line out jumper. Matfield and oconnell could be argued as being too loose at times. Brad thorn could hardly be called a master of the line out either. They are all exceptional, but if you are looking for the perfect player, I'm afraid few of them exist. The most rounded second row in terms of skill set was probably Simon shaw, but he played second fiddle to Johnson for how long, so you can argue it many ways

  • 45678
    9:27 PM 20/08/2013

    Surely a big tackle in this manner is more obvious than one around the fringes, doesn't mean he doesn't put both in

  • browner
    8:01 PM 20/08/2013

    All players have different skills, and impacts, some do the tight work [eg..O'Connell] other score tries ... Croft, Lawes major value to the team is his ability to wreck opposition backs with marginally late albeit fully committed tackles. When will 10's learn ....... When Saints wanted to disrupt Tigers who did they assign to the job? Yep, Lawes.... there's a reason, it's because he's good at it..... The same way Corbisiero has a different value to a team than Vunipola .... A brave but nevertheless daft 10 IMO pass slightly earlier & get Lawes YC for a late hit [cos he's too daft to pull out] , do it twice & he's off the field

  • facepalm
    7:38 PM 20/08/2013

    Who were you playing for?

  • facepalm
    7:34 PM 20/08/2013

    There does seem to be a disproportionally large number of videos about Lawes smashing the little guy but I urge you to follow him closely in a game. He does all that you have listed consistently every game. The problem with Lawes is that no one will forget him getting ripped by Scott Williams. Apart from a shocker against France in this years 6 nations (when he was played out of position) he's played well every time he's started in an England shirt. It's very hard for a second row to stand out as extra ordinary because it's simply not their job. But Lawes is the guy you know is going to make the fly half hesitant every time he runs the ball and you know he's the guy who's not going to let his man over the gain line.

  • drg
    5:25 PM 20/08/2013

    My God, I never said he doesn't do the hard work, I said he is somewhat anonymous, meaning I rarely see him carrying the ball, turning the ball over, winning every lineout that comes his way etc etc etc.... My point is, what Lawes does, is what MANY other second rows do, except they do other stuff as well.

    It was a good smash no doubt, had this video not been about Lawes, I'd probably not have mentioned any other abilities, but it surprises me that every video about Lawes so far, has been him smashing backs....(or being on the receiving end of a nasty hit!)

  • drg
    5:22 PM 20/08/2013

    Well actually Botha's presence around the field is not just felt through his dirty play. But even if we both agree he is not exactly the cleanest player in the game and remove him from the list, Lawes is still left in the dust behind the rest of them.

  • drg
    2:42 PM 20/08/2013

    "Exceptional forward players tend to stay pretty much anonymous"

    BS... When you subtract all the bad behaviour from a huge number of forwards you still get a massive amount of incredible highlights; something I don't see with Lawes!

    Exceptional forwards to name a few (in no particular order):
    Bakkies Botha
    Victor Matfield
    POC
    AWJ
    Simon Shaw
    Nathan Sharpe
    Brad Thorn

    Then we could head into the realms of back rows but it wouldn't be an equal comparison.

    Etc etc, have all produced the grunt work as well as made a significant impact all around the field.

    Lawes does his job, but at the moment, I've yet to see him stand out to anything more than a "little guy smasher". I'm not saying there is anything wrong with smashing the little guys, nothing wrong at all, however that IMO is his claim to fame and it is disappointing that he has not produced more.

    Of course he is still fairly new, there could still be time, but I haven't seen exceptional play from him that warrants the hype people give him..(yet?)

  • drg
    1:27 PM 20/08/2013

    ....but I can see the "reply" button...

  • drg
    1:00 PM 20/08/2013

    No, when I said "carry his weight" I meant, he does the 'normal' stuff, I just find overall he is nothing special, maybe I have missed thing he does, but seems to me he just lives to crunch the small guy.

    Take Bakkies Botha for instance, maybe it's a massively incorrect comparison, but he smashes the small guy, smashes the big guy, carries the ball, steals the ball, all things which I am consciously aware of. He has a ton more experience than Lawes so perhaps time will tell. It's just I find Lawes is quiet in most other extra ordinary aspects of the game...

  • robb
    9:53 AM 20/08/2013

    Stand off, not looking at the attacking defenders, Floodie in the Premier final case in point.

  • stroudos
    6:06 AM 20/08/2013

    Bosh.

    Did well to get the pass away.

  • facepalm
    11:40 PM 19/08/2013

    When you say anonymous are you implying he doesn't do the grunt work? e.g hit rucks and make tackles?

  • jack243
    10:40 PM 19/08/2013

    Well......... :0

  • drg
    9:42 PM 19/08/2013

    When you're built like a pencil, like Mike is, it's not surprising he's going to get crunched every now and again.

    However that being said, this to me epitomises what Lawes is all about.. Smash a small guy and then remain anonymous. I'm not saying he doesn't carry his weight during the game, but I don't see what is so special about him.

  • murina
    7:39 PM 19/08/2013

    One of those rare head-to-head tackles where the tackler is actually going faster than the ball-carrier.

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