The former England captain Courtney Lawes has announced he is coming out of international retirement after signing for Sale Sharks in the Prem.

Lawes, 37, had said he would be leaving French side Brive at the end of the season, two years after departing the Northampton Saints. And it was revealed on Tuesday that the 105-cap forward would be returning to England and signing for Sale on a one-year deal from the start of the 2026/27 season.

“If all goes as well as I believe it can, then I would love to play for England at a fifth World Cup,” Lawes wrote in the The Times.

“I haven’t spoken to Steve Borthwick yet and I would definitely have to earn my place back in his England squad but I will be available if he needs me, which I guess means that I am officially coming out of international retirement.”

The 2027 World Cup takes place in Australia and the former captain’s leadership and experience could be valuable for Borthwick after England’s worst-ever Six Nations campaign.

“I didn’t expect to be in this position at 37 and feel like I have the ambition and ability to still play at international level,” Lawes said. “If that door opens then I am more than happy to walk through it.

“As a player with over 100 caps, who has played at four World Cups and on two British & Irish Lions tours, I believe I could bring experience and leadership to the group.”

Lawes also revealed he received an offer from Leicester Tiger, but felt he was “unable to cross that divide” after 17 years with Northampton.

“There were really only two Prem clubs I could have imagined playing for,” he said. “Saints were one and Sale were the other.

“My wife, Jess, is from Cheshire. In the space of those 24 mad hours we agreed to move into a barn that is being converted at her parents’ farm. Sale are their club, so it will mean a lot to pull on the jersey and my family connection means I can buy easily into their northern identity.”

He added: “To be able to play Prem rugby again was an opportunity I couldn’t really pass up.”