Cowan-Dickie becomes latest Centurion
By Mark Stevens
17/4/21
By his own admission, Luke Cowan-Dickie is a changed man.
Sure, he’s still happy to think he’s the care-free sole he was in his early 20s, but once he drives away from the day job at Sandy Park each afternoon, the Cornishman switches into a new game mode.
No, I’m not referring to his latest online antics on games such as Fortnite or Call of Duty, instead the 28-year-old is a devoting dad, helping oversee the development of young son Arlo, alongside partner Chloe.
“Having him has definitely made me grow up,” he says. “Here at the club, I still think I’m 20 and a kid myself, but outside of the club I have other duties. It’s weird in a way, but I’m 28 now and I’m a grown man with a kid.
“Unlike in the past, I come into work, I train, I play, then it’s back home and my whole mindset changes. I remember I have a baby to help look after, so it’s definitely changed me and helped calm me down a lot.”
The transformation is clear to see and it’s shown in Cowan-Dickie’s on-field performances, where not only was he an integral part in helping the Chiefs clinch English and European titles last season, but on the international scene he has also made huge strides in recent times.
A first-ever start in the Six Nations Championship was just reward for the player, who England head coach Eddie Jones was quick to note had made some serious changes to his lifestyle in a bid to gain higher prominence.
Often pitted behind former England captain Dylan Hartley and Jamie George in the battle for the No.2 Test jersey, his selection from the outset against Italy in this season’s Championship underlined the strides he has clearly made.
“His power has really come to the fore,” said Jones on why the Chiefs ace was now firmly at the forefront of his selection plans. ‘He is a very powerful ball-carrier, a very powerful defender. He is a strong scrummager and he is very powerful at the back of driving mauls, so he has brought all that.
“He is in the best physical condition I have ever seen him. He has made a few adjustments to his lifestyle and he is really committed to being the best player he can be.”
Once tested by Jones in a quirky one-to-one meeting, where the Aussie coach handed him a slab of Guinness to see how he would react, Cowan-Dickie these days is helping lead the charge as the Chiefs look to secure back-to-back Premiership crowns.
“I can see us doing it again,” he answers when asked about the club’s title credentials this time round. “Last week [against Leinster] was a bit of a kick in the teeth. It was disappointing, of course, but we felt we did well for a lot of that game. By Monday, we came in, we reviewed things, and it was time to park it and move on again.
“Now, we’re back in the Premiership this weekend and I think we’re all pretty hungry to get after things. The Prem is an important focus for us all. We’ve got Wasps this weekend, who we know from previous games and last year’s final, and it will be tough. It should be a heck of a game, but we’re excited for it.”
And for Cowan-Dickie, the game itself will mark another milestone in his own playing career as he will get the opportunity to lead his side into battle on this his 100th Premiership appearance.
It’s a far cry from his first top-flight outing back in February 2014 at home to Northampton Saints, but it’s an occasion he is clearly relishing ahead of kick-off.
“It does seem an age ago, when you put it like that,” he added. “I do remember it because I had built my way up through the academy, so to get that first game was big.
“Since then, it’s been an unbelievable journey. I’ve played with a lot of these guys here now for a very long time. A lot of us have come up through the ranks, guys like Nowellsy, Sladey, Big Dave, so it has made it special. To be able to have achieved what we have, especially as a group of guys, has been brilliant.
“Of course, we’ve had our share of highs and lows, but winning the double last year and other bits of silverware along the way, it’s all added to things. Hopefully, we can get some more as we move on.”
With an exciting end to the season to contend with – together with the possibility of being included on either the British Lions tour to South Africa or England’s summer tour – Cowan-Dickie insists he more than revved up for a big finish.
“You saw last season when we came back from the first lockdown, there was definitely a switch in how boys were acting,” he continued. “Rather than sit back and worry about a lot about the Covid thing, we came back in for that second pre-season and really hammered into things.
“You could see all the boys were focused, switched on and fit and we just went after games. All of that showed in how we played and what we achieved come the end of the season.”
Now, Cowan-Dickie is targeting a third Premiership winners’ medal come the end of this campaign. Achieving that feat, however, will be no easy feat and it begins with today’s visit of Wasps and next week’s testing trip to league leaders Bristol Bears.
“Every week is huge for us now,” he added. “There’s really good competition across the league and it’s up to us to make sure we get into that top four, first and foremost, then target than top two. Right now, we are where we want to be, but we’ve got to make sure we keep doing what we’re doing and getting those results.”