Cowan-Dickie aiming to shine

By Mark Stevens

It wasn’t that long ago that Luke Cowan-Dickie was sat in a classroom at Truro College dreaming of one day pulling on an England jersey at Twickenham.

Sat not too far from him was fellow Cornishman Jack Nowell, another who harboured similar dreams, having trod a similar path to his close friend.

The duo have been virtually inseparable from an early age, initially starting their fledgling rugby careers with the mini section at Penzance-Newlyn, before more recently going on to establish themselves as key members of Rob Baxter’s Exeter Chiefs squad.

Along the way they’ve teamed up at various age group levels with England, even winning the Junior World Championships two years ago alongside fellow Chiefs Sam Hill, Joel Conlon and Henry Slade.

Whilst Nowell (pictured) has always been slightly ahead of Cowan-Dickie and Slade in terms of professional progression, the talented trio currently find themselves vying for spots in Stuart Lancaster’s England squad ahead of this autumn’s Rugby World Cup.

Tonight, Cowan-Dickie and Slade will get their chance to shine as they form part of the England 23-man squad for the opening warm-up game against France.

Slade will win his maiden international cap when he lines up alongside fellow debutant Sam Burgess at centre, whilst Truro-born Cowan-Dickie will be hoping to follow suit should he get summoned from the bench by Lancaster.

For both players it’s the latest accolade to be bestowed upon them and is just reward for their dedicated outlook to life, both on and off the field.

Even now Cowan-Dickie admits his inclusion in tonight’s squad has not “sunk in” - but he insists come kick-off he and England will be ready to tackle anything after a punishing pre-season programme to date.

“None of it has really sunk in yet, but I’m sure the closer I get to kick-off, that’s when it will hit me,” said Cowan-Dickie. “I do get nervous before big games and because this is an eight o’clock kick-off I will have more time to think about it, but I know when the times comes I will be switched on and looking to do what I’ve done in training.”

As one of four Chiefs in Lancaster’s current training squad - the other member is summer signing Geoff Parling - Cowan-Dickie is hoping a big display at headquarters will provide further evidence for Lancaster to include him in his final mix.

“I couldn’t believe it at first,” explained Cowan-Dickie following his initial call-up. “I was sat at home just about to eat some food when Graham Rowntree came on the phone and told me I would be in the first training squad.

“That kind of started things off for me and I’ve been here now for six or seven weeks and we’ve had two weeks in Denver as well. For sure it’s the toughest pre-season I have ever done, but it’s been good and we’re all feeling in good shape.

“This week has been good, especially building up to what is a Test week, so it’s nice to be involved and should I come off the bench and win that first game, it will be amazing. It’s something I’ve always dream of.”

Already Cowan-Dickie (pictured) has had experience of featuring for both the England Saxons and for England in the non-capped clash with the Barbarians, but he expects the French encounter to be played at another level again.

“Playing for the Saxons was a big step and so too was playing against the Barbarians,” explained the hooker. “To win a first cap would be massive for me, especially as I never thought it would come this quickly.

“I suppose it’s reward for what I’ve done on a personal level and also for what we have done down at Exeter. We had a great season last year and that was reflected in where we finished. Being around the top of the table, you know Stuart is going to be looking and us all a lot more.”

And as final selection looms ever nearer for the entire England party, Cowan-Dickie acknowledges being part of the mix is helping not only his confidence, but is helping to improve him even further as a player.

“Surviving that first cut before Denver was a big step for me,” he explained. “They’ve cut a few more since then, but all four hookers are still in there. I think it shows how well we are all doing, but it also shows the competition we have within the group.

“They are all quality players and all want to be part of the squad. Personally, it’s been good to work with the other guys because they’ve all played hooker for a while now. Just getting little tips off them, throwing wise, scrum wise, it all helps my game.

“I know another cut will be coming soon, so it’s down to me and how I play, so hopefully I can perform as well as I can.”