Six Nations 2022: Northampton team-mates Courtney Lawes & Dan Biggar face off
- Published
Guinness Six Nations - England v Wales |
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Venue: Twickenham Stadium Date: Saturday, 26 February Kick-off: 16:45 GMT |
Coverage: Listen to match commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru; text commentary and highlights on BBC Sport website and app. |
Northampton team-mates Courtney Lawes and Dan Biggar will both captain their national sides at Twickenham on Saturday, but club skipper Lewis Ludlam says that is where their similarities end.
Ludlam describes the pair as "polar opposites" when it comes to their leadership style, with the more muted, laid-back Lawes facing a slightly more vocal Biggar.
Saturday's game between Lawes' England and Biggar's Wales will be the first time in the history of the fixture that both captains have come from the same club.
It is only the fourth time it has happened in the Six Nations, with Stade Francais' Sergio Parisse and Pascal Pape leading Italy and France in 2013 and 2014 - and Toulouse team-mates Gareth Thomas and Fabien Pelous captaining Wales and France in 2005.
It will be a new experience for Lawes and Biggar too, who have only led their country twice each with Lawes standing in for the injured Owen Farrell and Biggar stepping up in Alun Wyn Jones' absence.
Ludlam said: "In terms of their leadership styles and the way they hold themselves around the club, they couldn't be more polar opposites.
"Courtney is very laid back in the way that he does things. He is fairly introverted which I think is surprising for a lot of people.
"Dan is very much a vocal leader. He is the first person to say when something isn't right and the first person to give lads a bit of a grill to get the best out of them.
"They're both very different in that regard."
Hot-head meets laid-back calm
Lawes, making his first Six Nations appearance after prolonged concussion issues, seems to agree with Ludlam's assessment.
The 33-year-old told BBC Sport on Thursday that Biggar is "slightly more hot-headed" than him.
"He's a really good friend of mine, so I'm really looking forward to playing him," Lawes added.
"I'm a bit calmer. I lead by example and don't say too much whereas Bigs is a very good speaker and he drives the team in that way."
Biggar, who became Lawes' team-mate when he joined Northampton in 2018, largely agrees with the England captain's assessment.
"I think Courts will probably be the more relaxed of the two of us on Saturday afternoon I'd imagine," Biggar said on Thursday. "His style will be a lot more laid-back than mine.
"I think you can have a lot people who speak a lot of the time but it can be white noise. Certainly from my experience from playing with Courts when he has something to say people tend to tune in a little bit more closely, and really focus in."
Dan Biggar: England's Courtney Lawes will be 'more relaxed' captain, says Wales skipper
'Massive difference' in referee communication
The players' contrasting styles will perhaps be most intriguing in the way they both communicate with referee Mike Adamson at Twickenham.
Both teams need victory to keep alive their Six Nations title hopes and refereeing decisions could prove crucial in a tight game.
It remains to be seen whether Adamson will take more kindly to Lawes' lighter touch or Biggar's louder voice, but Ludlam believes the interactions will be interesting either way.
"Courtney is quiet but he doesn't shy away from the truth," Ludlam explained.
"If something needs to be said, Courtney will say it.
"I think that [how they speak to the referee] is going to be a massive difference between the two of them.
"Dan is usually very vocal and sometimes in a negative way at the club. Him being in that captain role has probably changed the way he thinks about how he speaks and comes across to the ref as well."
'No friends on a rugby pitch'
Both Lawes and Biggar have acknowledged it will be a special day captaining their country against one of their close friends.
But one of the few things the pair have in common is their competitive nature - a fact made plain when Lawes expressed his desire to land a trademark big hit on Biggar early, external in the 2021 fixture.
In such a crucial game in front of a packed stadium, there will be no place for niceties.
"They're both fierce competitors," Ludlam said.
"There are no friends on a rugby pitch. They want to win more than anything.
"They're not going to let friendship get in the way of it. As soon as that 80 minutes is up I'm sure they'll have a beer together but anything before then, it's just any other game."
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