Tables turn in Lawson's favour

Rugby reporter

Sunday 23 September 2012

It would be pushing things too far to suggest Rory Lawson has been engaged in some sort of personal remake of Kind Hearts and Coronets, but even if he has not himself been responsible for bumping off his rivals there has still been something uncanny about the way events of recent weeks have cleared a path for his return to rugby's front line.

Opportunities have opened up for Rory Lawson to make his mark at Newcastle Falcons and potentially resume his Scotland career Photograph: Fotosport

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Alasdair reid

First, he nailed down his place as Newcastle Falcons' first-choice scrum-half when Chris Pilgrim, his main competitor for the No 9 jersey, suffered a serious knee injury. Next came the news Chris Cusiter had been ruled out of action – and, most significantly, Scotland's autumn Test programme – by a shoulder problem, bringing Lawson firmly back into the international frame.

But while you might hesitate to stand in front of the 31-year-old in the checkout queue at your local Co-op, it would be hard to disagree that it was about time luck turned his way. Having reached the pinnacle of his career when he captained Scotland against Argentina in the World Cup 12 months ago, Lawson spent the rest of last season on a particularly rocky road as, in quick succession, he failed to make the Six Nations squad, suffered a serious groin injury and then pledged himself to a Falcons side that was promptly relegated.The last event of that sequence was easily the most bizarre. Newcastle finished bottom of the Aviva Premiership, but were told they were safe as Championship winners London Welsh lacked the facilities to play in the top flight. The exiled club mounted a legal challenge and an independent panel ruled they should go up. And, as a consequence, that Newcastle should go down."It was a tough one to take," says Lawson, who is sitting in the comfortable lounge of Newcastle's Kingston Park clubhouse, where it is clear the privations of life in the lower tier have not had too serious an effect on the Falcons' material circumstances. But it is clear the experience has scarred the collective mindset.Lawson continues: "It was obviously a huge disappointment You can't hide away from that. Newcastle Falcons want to be in the Premiership and so do I. "You always want to be playing at the top end of the game, so, obviously, it was tough to go down. It was really harsh for the guys who had been here a long time because it was like being relegated twice. They were told they were out, then they were in and then they were out again. That's pretty rough."Maybe so, but the team have steeled themselves to adversity with impressive resolve. Not only have they won their first three games in the Championship's new season, they have collected a try bonus point in every one of them. Today, they travel to Penzance to take on Cornish Pirates, one of the division's top sides over the past few seasons, and a win on the road would give them an impressive lead at the top of the table with the new campaign still less than a month old.So it's a bit of a stroll? Far from it. For even if they dominate the rest of the regular season they will win nothing more than the right to join three other sides in the Championship play-offs, where one slip-up could be ruinously expensive. Lawson spent three seasons with Edinburgh and six at Goucester, but, as tough as it might have been at the top, he's now learning it's a whole lot tougher on the next rung down. "I've spoken to a number of people who have been in this position before," he says. "And it can be hard. In the Aviva Premiership, if you get into the top four then you want to win the title, but if you don't you can come back next year and try again. You get another chance."In the Championship you can finish top of the tree and go into the play-offs, but if you don't win the play-offs then you don't go up. That's a lot of pressure to have. But everyone here is working really hard to get up to the stage where we want to be. We'll be working to put our-selves in the best position to go up."Lawson was brought to the club by former Leicester and Harlequins coach Dean Richards, who has now served his three-year ban for his involvement in the notorious Bloodgate scandal. Stage blood aside, Richards is the arch pragmatist, and he knew the scrum-half could do exactly the kind of job required of him. "Rory has experience, a good service, basically everything a good scrum-half should bring," Richards says. "He also has a great work ethic, which you need as well."As Andy Robinson decided last season that he could do without Lawson so long as Cusiter and Mike Blair were available, Richards could have been forgiven for thinking his player would not be troubled by international call-ups this autumn. That picture changed when Cusiter dislocated his shoulder, although Lawson is understandably touchy at the suggestion he might rely on others' misfortunes to get a game.He said: "I'd like to think I've always been in the thoughts of Robbo and the rest of the coaches. I really feel for Cus because he's had a tough time with injuries, and it sounded like a pretty sore one he got last Friday night. For me, Scotland is something that comes as a reward for doing well at the club, so that's where I've got to focus on playing well before thinking of anything else."But I love playing for Scotland and I want to play for Scotland. I've had discussions with Andy about being in Newcastle and playing in the Championship, and I still believe I can play at a level week in and week out that is good enough to let me make the step into international rugby. I need to be on top of my game every week. If I can do that I'm putting the ball into the coach's court and it's his decision to make."Modestly, Lawson reckons he needs to step up a notch or two to get back to his best, but says he is settling in quickly and getting used to Newcastle's way of doing things. "I don't think I'm quite at the top of my game, but believe I can be within the next week or two," he says. Off the field, things are going rather well too . He got married last month and he and his wife Maxine have settled into a new home just north of Newcastle. It's handy for getting to the club, he explains. And on the right side of town for getting back up to Scotland should the call from Robinson come through.

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Tables turn in Lawson's favour

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