ENGLAND star Courtney Lawes has undergone ankle surgery after playing through the pain barrier for FOUR months.
SunSport can reveal the lock battled on since early spring with the problem, having previously needed an operation to clear out a chipped bone in a foot.
Hardman Lawes, 27, put off an op to help Eddie Jones’ England heroes whitewash Australia Down Under last month.
The 6ft 7in Northampton Saints star is now walking with the help of crutches, but is expected to be ready for the start of their Premiership campaign against Bath on September 3.
Lawes, who has been capped 49 times by England, has had terrible luck with injuries and first crocked an ankle back in December 2014.
He suffered his latest injury when he was hurt after a tackle from 20-stone lock Hayden Smith in Saints’ 20-15 victory over Saracens in March.
Red Rose boss Jones hopes to be able to call on the impressive second row star when the England heroes meet up again at the start of the season for a one-off get-together.
Meanwhile, Exeter Chiefs have been busy in making sure England Saxons stars Don Armand, Alec Hepburn and Mitch Lees remain at Sandy Park.
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The trio have signed new deals at the Devon club and boss Rob Baxter said: “Now they are going to want to try and break into that full England squad.
“They have added a lot in their short time they have been with us and we think they are players who are going to play a big, big part in the future of the club going forward.
“Mitch and Don had real stand-out seasons last year and they are starting to show that they could be two of the best back-five forwards in the Premiership.”
Baxter added: “Alec has just been getting better and better in his time with us.”
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