Courtney Lawes, the human embodiment of 'actions speak louder than words,' was reportedly not expecting a call-up to Steve Borthwick's pre-season England squad. At 37, he's back in the Premiership with Sale Sharks, and he's got his eye on a fifth World Cup. Because why retire gracefully when you can chase a record that will make your knees ache for decades?

Lawes, who has been clear that his return from two years in France is partly about international ambition, is taking the Borthwick approach: prove it on the pitch, don't yap about it. Borthwick has told Lawes, fellow Sale arrival Joe Marchant, and Newcastle's new No 8 Hoskins Sotutu that they must outshine their new Premiership rivals to earn England selection. So Lawes, ever the pragmatist, said, 'If I play well for Sale I'll give myself an opportunity to play for England.'

This from a man with 105 caps, who last pulled on the white shirt at the 2023 World Cup, and who is privately as determined as a terrier with a bone, but publicly as cool as a cucumber in a fridge. Borthwick's England haven't exactly 'kicked on' since then, but Lawes is back, and he's not worried about legacy. He's just worried about getting picked, because at 37, every season is a now-or-never kind of deal.