Saints star Lawes confident Lions can cause an upset

The Saints lock has been named in Warren Gatland’s squad for the three-Test tour, which begins in June.

Lawes will compete with the likes of Maro Itoje and Alun Wyn Jones for a starting spot against the All Blacks.

And the Saints star is in bullish mood after being given the chance to realise his Lions ambition.

“It’s going to be a real tough campaign, but we’ve certainly got the quality in the side to cause an upset,” Lawes said.

“It’s going to be a great tour.

“There were some pretty close calls in there, especially in the second row, so I’m delighted to be a part of it.”

So how did Lawes discover he would be in the Lions squad?

“We’d just had a meeting (at Saints) and some of the boys found out I was in before I did, so I didn’t know whether they were taking the mick.

“But it turned out that I was in and it was good to share it with the boys.”

Lawes has been in fantastic form for club and country this season.

And he said: “It’s been the first season in a long time that I’ve managted to stay fit.

“It’s been a really good one, I’ve worked hard and thankfully it’s paid dividends.

“I’m just going to go in there with an open mind, ready to work hard and get to it.”