Saints handed big Lawes injury boost

Saints have been handed a massive boost with the news Courtney Lawes' injury against Saracens is not as bad as first feared.
Courtney Lawes could recover in time to face Sale Sharks on Saturday (picture: Sharon Lucey)Courtney Lawes could recover in time to face Sale Sharks on Saturday (picture: Sharon Lucey)
Courtney Lawes could recover in time to face Sale Sharks on Saturday (picture: Sharon Lucey)

Lawes had to be helped off the field during the first half of last Saturday’s Aviva Premiership victory at Allianz Park.

The lofty lock was unable to put any weight on his left leg, having sustained an ankle problem.

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But Saints assistant coach Alan Dickens has since allayed fears over Lawes’ injury, even claiming the England star could be available for Saturday’s clash with Sale Sharks at Franklin’s Gardens.

“Courtney’s good and there’s a fighting chance he could be available at the weekend,” Dickens said.

“He was frustrated that he had to come off at the weekend and he was pretty sore, but it settled down pretty quickly.

“We were pretty worried to start with but he was assessed straight after the game and they were pretty confident.”

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However, Lawes has yet to train this week, meaning an appearance against Sale would seem unlikely.

Saints know they must look after the second row forward, who has been unfortunate with injuries during the past few seasons.

“He hasn’t trained, but Courtney’s the calibre of player that we know what he can do,” Dickens said.

“We’ll hopefully get him involved in the team run.

“We do have to be careful with players. It’s a tough season and it will be a squad effort.

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“You can’t play your best players week in, week out in the Premiership.”

More good news for Saints comes in the form of two more locks, with Christian Day declaring himself fit for Saturday’s game and Michael Paterson on the way back.

Day was rested for the win against Worcester Warriors a couple of weeks ago, but a ‘niggle’ ruled him out of the clash with Saracens.

However, he is now back involved and available for this weekend.

Paterson has been recovering from back spasms and will look to return in the not too distant future.

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