Saints star Lawes tells England to enjoy series decider in Australia

Lawes, along with Saints team-mates Lewis Ludlam and Tommy Freeman, starts as England go in search of the win that would seal a series victory in Sydney.

England bounced back from defeat in Perth to beat the Wallabies 25-17 in Brisbane last weekend.

Lawes was at the forefront of that display, producing a huge 80-minute performance.

And the skipper is now looking forward to trying to finish the job this weekend.

"There isn't constant intensity, it's not 24/7 pressure," Lawes said.

"We have to get everything we can out of training and it has to be intense and we have to do everything under pressure. But when we get back to the hotel, we enjoy ourselves, have fun, let go, don’t think about rugby, be a team, enjoy each other’s company.

"Rugby’s a great sport and it’s important to enjoy it because it doesn’t last forever.

"We’ve made it a much more enjoyable environment. We’re not doing that because we want everything to be sunshine and roses, we’re doing it because we think if we do this that’s how you actually get the best out of the team, it’s all for a reason."

Despite England's ever-growing list of injuries to key personnel, Lawes has faith that Leicester Tigers forward Ollie Chessum, who starts at lock, and other relatively inexperienced players can still deliver a performance necessary to claim a second consecutive series win in Australia.

"I’ve been impressed with him (Chessum) for a while," Lawes said.

"He’s going to be a good England player for sure. He’s the kind of person you can rely on to give a big performance when you need it. I have every confidence in him.

"You never know how somebody’s going to perform on the big stage and even the most inexperienced people can show their mettle when the chips are down, same goes for them, so we’re not going to take anything for granted.

"We’re not going to think that this guy isn’t as good as the guy he’s replacing because he might well turn out to be all that and more."