Luke's on song for England Under-20s

By Mark Stevens

Exeter Chiefs prop Luke Cowan-Dickie led the way as England Under-20s kicked off their Six Nations defence with a 15-6 victory over Scotland at the Brickfields on Friday night.

The 19-year-old forward not only scored England's second try, but was also instrumental in helping the home side claim a penalty try in the first half as the Scotland capitulated under pressure just yards from their own posts.

Fellow Chief, Henry Slade, weighed in with England's remaining points, whilst there were also impressive displays from club-mates Sam Hill, Jack Arnott and debutant Joel Conlon.

Although Sky Sports pundit Dewi Morris, the former England scrum-half, gave the man-of-the-match award to Slade, it was the display of Cornishman Cowan-Dickie that had everyone talking at the final whistle.

"We dug in at the end to make sure we got the win, but we made it tough for ourselves," said Cowan-Dickie. "The conditions were not the best, we did not pass the ball out wide enough when we could, and our own errors kept the score tight, but it was good to grind out the victory.

"It was great to get the win to start off our Six Nations defence, and if we hadn’t managed that it would have been quite disappointing. Now we are just looking forward to Ireland (in Athlone) on Friday night, and hopefully we can get on top of a few things, sort a few things out, and hopefully the game goes better and we come away with another win."

Cowan-Dickie, who is dual-registered with Plymouth Albion in the Championship, admitted he - and his fellow Exeter team-mates - had enjoyed playing for their country in their native South West.

"When I ran out onto the pitch, I could hear all my family and friends shouting my name, and it was really fun to go and play in front of that crowd," added Cowan-Dickie, who recently agreed a new contract with the Chiefs.

"In the first half we didn’t really do much, and I went in at half-time thinking “what have I done here? But in the second half, I got a few carries, and then just saw the try line and went for it and got over."

Cowan-Dickie admitted that having five players in the England starting line-up from the Chiefs showed the Academy system was working very well.

"It is always good to have quite a few numbers from your club playing for your country, because they all pick you up during the game and help spur you on."