Can Saints icon Lawes sign off with title?

Courtney Lawes bids farewell to the fans following his final Franklin's Gardens appearance

Courtney Lawes was just not going to let go of the ball.

It was entirely fitting that it should be this iconic Northampton Saints player who would have the final say in their Premiership semi-final against Saracens.

In the final minute of the match, with Saracens trailing by just two points, nerves were shredded inside Franklin’s Gardens.

Sarries' Theo Dan had the ball in his own 22, but it was Lawes who wrapped his big arms around man and ball.

The crowd knew at once. This was his town and his ground and Saracens were going nowhere. The final whistle sent Saints to Twickenham.

It is difficult to explain the depth of feeling between Lawes and Saints.

He is, of course, a local man. Although born in London, he is absolutely a product of Northampton, having moved to the town as a small child.

More than that, he is a product of St James, the part of town that is home to Franklin's Gardens and gives the club its Saints nickname. His own childhood home is just a little more than the punt of a rugby ball away from the pitch.

The 35-year-old has become the modern embodiment of the club.

Saints were founded in 1880 in part to keep the working-class boys of the St James parish out of trouble. More than a century later, Lawes himself has spoken about his own working-class upbringing in Northampton and how these are "his people".

Rugby union provided opportunities which might otherwise not have been available to him. He wants the game to be more accessible to all – it's one of many subjects on which he has become increasingly outspoken over the years.

Lawes has increasingly embraced his status as a role model and talks about a future working with charities such as the Saints Foundation.

From tackler to jackler

Courtney Lawes (centre) and Burger Odendaal hold up Theo Dan in the final moments against Saracens

The way Lawes has played the game over the years has further deepened the bond between him and the club's supporters.

As a younger man, he was famous for the huge hits. Julien Tomas, Jules Plisson, Morgan Parra, Toby Flood, Charlie Hodgson – they all felt the full force of a Lawes tackle.

But Lawes had to adapt. He couldn’t continue to play with such ferocity and expect a long career.

So, to the relief of half-backs across the globe, he changed, moving into the back-row and becoming more of a ball-carrier and a jackler [the first arriving team-mate of a player making a tackle].

And even this season we’ve seen yet another side to his game, at line-outs and mauls, where time and again he’s wrapped up man and ball to force a crucial turnover for Saints. He’s even managed to score some tries this year – five so far, way more than any other season.

Lawes could have left the club before, but he felt he had a debt to pay. Injury and international commitments have meant that in the past four seasons he's averaged fewer than 10 appearances in each campaign.

He could not leave on these terms, so he turned down offers in France to have one last season with his beloved Saints.

Greatest Saints player of them all?

A young Courtney Lawes in European action for Saints in 2008

Lawes has done it all on the rugby field. He has played in a World Cup final, in Lions Tests and won Grand Slams. He captained his country to a series win in Australia.

But signing off with victory over Bath at Twickenham on Saturday would be the perfect way to say goodbye to Saints before he finally makes that move to France.

With Saints, he has won the Premiership, two European Challenge Cups and two Premiership Rugby Cups. He was even given the freedom of the town late last year.

So the question is often asked, is he the greatest Saints player of them all?

His case is certainly a very strong one, both in terms of what he has achieved for club and country as well as what he represents.

It’s not something Lawes shies away from. When we asked him if he was happy to be described as the greatest, his reply was: "It's not for me to say, but it has been a target of mine. Before I leave the club I want to be considered at least one of the best-ever players.

"I think it's one of those things that you only go for when it's within your grasp. Once it was there I thought, yes, I want to go for that, why wouldn't you?"

Ultimately it's impossible to compare across different eras.

How can you say if Lawes is a greater player than, say, Dickie Jeeps, Ray Longland or Edgar Mobbs?

But if you're penning Saints' best-ever team on a blank sheet of paper, Courtney Lawes is almost certainly the very first name you would write down.