Luke plays lead role in victory
By Mark Stevens
24/12/18
Luke Cowan-Dickie put the frustration of the past few months firmly behind him as he played a lead role in helping Exeter Chiefs achieve the Christmas No.1 spot.
Sidelined since mid-October with a hamstring injury, the England International showed little sign of rustiness on his competitive return, helping the Chiefs to topple previously unbeaten Saracens at Sandy Park.
Cornishman Cowan-Dickie, who was called in at the last-minute following illness to club captain Jack Yeandle, featured for almost an hour as the Chiefs became the first side in 22 games to defeat the Londoners.
Tries from Cowan-Dickie, Harry Williams and Matt Kvesic, coupled with a second half Penalty Try, ensured it was maximum reward for the Devonians, who leapfrogged their rivals at the top to lead the division by three points after 10 rounds.
It was a notable scalp for Rob Baxter’s side, who have quickly put to bed the disappointment of recent losses to Harlequins in the Premiership and Gloucester in the Champions Cup, by following it up with an away-day win in Europe against the Cherry & Whites, and then this latest success against Sarries.
“That was a big result for us, mainly because two weeks’ ago against Gloucester here we didn’t feel we put in a shift that was us,” said Cowan-Dickie. “Even if we put in a shift and we end up losing, you can kind of take that.However, we felt in that game and maybe others before that, we didn’t think we were playing like ourselves.
“Today, we didn’t do anything magical as such, we played to what we do, and we did it very well and got the win.”
Although Saracens dominated for much of the first quarter, it was once Cowan-Dickie had claimed Exeter’s first try that the Chiefs really started to click into gear, producing arguably their best display of the season so far.
“It’s been a few weeks since I’ve played and I could definitely feel it on my lungs,” added Cowan-Dickie. “I had the late call-up with Yeandle out, but it was good to be out there again.We knew it was going to be a big game, especially against Sarries who hadn’t lost, but we got the win, we played well, and we couldn’t have asked for more really.”
As the Chiefs know all too well, nothing is won in December and although they will take plenty from toppling the defending champions, Cowan-Dickie and his team-mates know they must back it up, starting with their impending trip to Northampton Saints.
“A couple of seasons ago we may have lulled on victories like this, but now we’re at the stage where we have to kick on,” said Cowan-Dickie. “We’ll enjoy the win for what it is, but come tomorrow we’ll be back in, we will look at the things that went well, the things that didn’t go so well, and then we’ll look forward to the Northampton game.”
Certainly, the Chiefs will take plenty from this latest success, but the 25-year-old forward insists no one will be getting carried away moving forward.
“League games are a lot different,” explained the hooker. “There was a time a few years ago where we didn’t lose to Sarries for four or five games in the league, yet they still went on and beat us in the final at the end of the season.
“I do think semi-finals and finals are different ball games. We’re normally good at those knock-out games, because it’s where we tend to play our best. There was a time where we were the underdogs for a long time, but now we expect to win games, especially at home.We know we are a quality side, the depth to the squad is good, and when we put in a Chiefs performance, like we did today, more often than not we will win.
“For us, I wouldn’t say today was payback for the final in May, but more of a stepping stone for the rest of the season. We’ve come out on top, we’ve played well and it will mean we have a good Christmas, but we know there is still a huge amount to do this season.”