Courtney Lawes graduated in to the Northampton Saints side after a stint in their academy, having been raised close to their home at Franklin's Gardens.

An athletic forward at home in the second-row and at flanker, his 6'7'' frame and explosive power make him a fearsome presence. A representative of England at U19 and U20 levels, he was promoted in to the England Saxons setup by Martin Johnson in 2009.

The start of the 2009-10 season brought further opportunities for Lawes, who celebrated a European Challenge Cup title with the Saints in May 2009. A superb display of controlled aggression against Munster in the opening round of the Heineken Cup brought plaudits for Lawes as well as a famous victory.

His form led to promotion into the senior Elite Player Squad (EPS) in October 2009 and he made his Test bow off the bench against Australia the following year. He was later handed his first start against the Wallabies on England's summer tour in 2010.

And Lawes' stock rose and rose since his England debut. He excelled for the Heineken Cup finalists Northampton and forced his way into the first-team for England's autumn internationals - featuring prominently in Chris Ashton's wonder try against Australia. After sitting out the 2011 Six Nations through injury, he forced his way back into the international reckoning in time to be named in England's 30-man squad for the tournament.

However the lock endured a difficult World Cup. He received a two-match ban for striking Argentina hooker Mario Ledesma in England's opening match of the tournament. He returned for the decisive victory over Scotland but dropped to the bench for the quarter-final defeat to France.

Lawes endured a torrid 2011-12 season as he struggled with injury. He was restricted to just one substitute appearance for England during the 2012 Six Nations. It came against Wales in England's 19-12 loss.

While Lawes returned for the Saints on the domestic scene, his coach Jim Mallinder ruled him out of contention for England's summer tour to South Africa as he looked for the second-row to regain full fitness.