Cowan-Dickie faces two months out with Chiefs
England hooker is not expected to return until mid-December after injuring ankle
EXETER Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter says Luke Cowan-Dickie is facing two months out with the ankle injury he suffered in last weekend’s win at Wasps.
It could not have come at a worse time for the 28-year-old Cornishman (pictured) and the injury will see him miss the Autumn internationals with Eddie Jones’ England side.
With that in mind, it means he won’t actually miss that much club rugby, as he would have been with the Red Rose anyway, but Baxter hopes to have him available for selection for the European fixtures with Montpellier and Glasgow Warriors in December.
“He’s had his scan and the good news is that it doesn’t require an operation,” Baxter said. “It is a six-toeight week recovery from the time of injury. But it is a significant injury that will keep him out of the Autumn international and hopefully we will see him back pre-Europe.
“It’s a blow for us, although – hopefully for Luke – we would have only had him for one more game, which was this weekend, then he would have been away with England, so the reality is we are only going to miss him for a couple of games throughout that period because he would and should have been away with England.
“It is probably a bigger blow for Luke and England than it is for us, but we will help him with his rehab and get him back and firing and if he plays well through the Christmas period and in Europe, then he will put himself back in the ring seat to get back with England for the Six Nations.”
With Jamie George initially left out of the squad, it seemed that Cowan-Dickie, who toured well with the British and Irish Lions in the summer, had cemented his place as England’s first choice at two. However, one man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity and Jones wasted no time in recalling George back to the squad when it became apparent that Cowan-Dickie would not be fit for national service.
“He’s genuinely disappointed and I think he’s worked exceptionally hard and done a lot of good things mentally and physically and experience-wise to get to where he was,” Baxter said.
“He’s broken through as England’s first choice and gone on a Lions tour and was almost certainly in the box seat to carry on with that.
“He’s worked really hard to achieve those leadership roles within the England set-up and for it to be taken away as soon as he has got there is tough but, at the same time, it is not a season-ending injury or one that will impact his career significantly if he looks after it well.
“Although he will miss out on this small opportunity of international rugby, he will have every opportunity to be fighting fit for the Six Nations which will probably be the bigger thing that cements his future in the England team.”