Our man Tom Vickers pays tribute to departing Saints legend Courtney Lawes

A leader by example, where Lawes goes, others have so often followed.

A bone-crunching tone-setter. A calm head amid the chaos.

And a stunning talent who can influence a game on every blade of grass in every situation that comes his way.

Year after year, the evolution has been clear.

From a highlight reel big-hitter to try-saving tackler and jackling Jimmy’s End giant, Lawes has added an extra string to his bow, day on day, year on year.

Injuries have often come, but he has ensured that what hasn’t killed him has served to make him stronger.

The Saints Academy product, who was raised a stone’s throw from the Gardens, has had setbacks that would have floored many, yet he has continued to come back bigger and better.

So much so that he has racked up a whopping 274 Saints appearances and 105 England caps, winning 73 of those matches with the Red Rose.

And perhaps Lawes has never been more influential than he has been this season. The season that we now know will be his last at Saints following 17 stellar campaigns in black, green and gold.

It looked like last season would be the final chapter of the Hackney-born hero’s incredible Saints story.

But Lawes, having been given a standing ovation at the Gardens as fans said what they though was an emotional goodbye, stuck around for one more year.

He had only been able to play seven times for Saints during an injury-hit 2022/23 campaign, and he didn’t want his story to end like that.

He took a pay cut to have one more year. A year to repay the club that loves him and that he loves.

And how he has repaid it, continuing to hit new levels that you never knew could be unlocked.

Having captained his country on several occasions, Lawes retired from international rugby at the end of a 2023 World Cup campaign in which his brilliance steered England to the semi-finals.

He has since enjoyed similar success with Saints, returning to his club and helping them to jump hurdle after hurdle.

It has felt like he has been man of the match pretty much every week as they have picked up 10 successive wins in all competitions.

And it is not just his performances that have been so key. It’s the confidence he gives to his team-mates.

After December’s opening-night Investec Champions Cup win at Glasgow Warriors, who had only lost once at home in two years, Fin Smith summed up the influence of Lawes, who had started the scoring for Saints in the success at Scotstoun Stadium.

"Having him on the pitch is so important and playing with someone like that is so cool,” Smith said.

"He's an unbelievable player and when he starts speaking, the whole room listens.

"We get a massive amount of confidence and when he feels good, we all feel good."

His Saints team-mates know that whatever situation presents itself, Lawes has probably faced it and tackled it before.

Consequently, they can watch how he handles it – often in a laid-back, unflustered fashion – and copy it.

That has given every Saints player the ability to avoid panic, as showcased week after week on the current 10-match winning streak.

Saints have been up against it in games against the likes of Gloucester and Munster, but they have prevailed each time.

It has provided a hot streak reminiscent of the one back in 2013/14, when Saints secured 13 victories in a row on the way to claiming a sensational Premiership and European Challenge Cup double.

Lawes was a huge figure for Saints back then, exerting his immense physicality alongside fellow ‘Bruise Brother’ Samu Manoa in a star-studded squad.

Fast forward 10 years and the phenomenal Manoa has long gone, but Lawes remains in the same imperious form. Actually, he’s even better.

He celebrated his 35th birthday on Friday, the day on which his summer switch to Brive was announced.

But Lawes has shown that age is simply a number.

He hasn’t deteriorated, he has just kept delivering.

He’ll surely do that for Brive, who have ambitions of bettering their current Pro D2 status.

And they couldn’t be bringing in a better man to help them achieve their aims.

Saints would have loved Lawes to see out his storied career as a one-club man.

But money talks, and the bid from Brive blew the black, green and gold out of the water.

In the current climate, there is no way they can compete with cash-rich French sides.

They have to cut their cloth accordingly, spreading their funds out to ensure they keep hold of the majority of this talented playing group.

As performances and league positions rise, so does the cost of keeping key performers.

And, sadly, holding on to Lawes was a bridge too far.

But there is still time for the fairy-tale ending. The conclusion that Lawes’ legendary Saints career deserves.

Phil Dowson’s men are top of the Gallagher Premiership and into the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup.

With the emotional energy provided by the announcement of Lawes’ impending exit, they have even more incentive - not that they needed it - to end this season with some long overdue silverware.

And if they are to do that, you can bet that Lawes will have a huge say, not necessarily with his words, but certainly with his actions.