Borthwick's praise for Chiefs star

England forwards coach Steve Borthwick says he has been impressed by the performances and attitude of Exeter Chiefs hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie.

Cowan-Dickie has replaced the injured Jamie George in England’s match-day squad ahead of Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations fixture against Wales.

The 22-year-old has just one cap for his country, but Borthwick is an admirer of his talents.

“Watching Luke play for his club side over a period of time, he is very impressive,” said Borthwick. “He is a really tough, physical player. Very strong ball carrier, very combative, very competitive.”

Borthwick also says he has been impressed by Cowan-Dickie’s desire to develop his game, especially his line-out throwing.

“He has been very professional in training and intent on improving,” added the former England captain. “He is a very good player and when he carries the ball you notice it.

“It’s an area of the game that he has put a lot of work into (line-out) which is encouraging and he has been very diligent around wanting to improve his set piece. We’ve got a good crop of young players coming through and he is one of them.”

England hooker Dylan Hartley has no doubt the Exeter player will be able to perform against Wales on Saturday should he be needed off the bench.

Captain Hartley also said he had been impressed by Cowan-Dickie's "energy".

"I’ve got no doubts he’ll add something, he’s trained well all camp, he’s fronted up every week," said Hartley.

"His set piece is good and we know what he can do around the park as well so I’m sure he’ll bring loads of energy to the team."