'Sweet spot' reason why Sale believe in England recall Cowan-Dickie

Sale have explained why Luke Cowan-Dickie was ripe for the England call he received on Friday when included by Steve Borthwick in next week’s 36-strong training squad. Injury and form have meant that the 31-year-old hooker was last capped when Eddie Jones was still in charge of the national side, the tenure-ending Autumn Nations Series of 2022.

By the time the Borthwick reign got started the following spring, Cowan-Dickie was on the sidelines with a nerve issue that reduced the power in his right arm.

Ultimately, a decision to join Montpellier from Exeter in the summer of 2023 – which would have made him England ineligible – fell through and now, more than a year after Sale snapped him up, he has returned to the international fold with every chance of playing some part for his country this November for the first time in the post-Jones era.

The 2021 British and Irish Lions tour pick took a while to get going in Manchester as Agustin Creevy and Tommy Taylor also had their share of selections last season. Cowan-Dickie eventually did enough to get invited to England training earlier this year, but he wasn't considered ready to play as skipper Jamie George and his Saracens teammate were the Test match day picks.

After a knock at Saracens in May, he then wasn't considered for a summer tour where the uncapped Gabriel Oghre instead travelled to Japan and New Zealand. However, now set for his third straight Gallagher Premiership start on Friday night when the Sharks host Gloucester, Cowan-Dickie has been named for the three-day England camp just weeks out from their London rematch with the All Blacks.

Ahead of Sale's latest Premiership fixture, director of rugby Alex Sanderson outlined his desire to keep the front-rower at the club beyond his summer of 2025 contract expiry, adding why he felt the player is now worthy of getting his first England cap in two years.

“He was close to moving to France. I believe the form he has shown and will continue to show, he will get back into that England side. That is what I believe,” he began. “In doing so, getting into the England side, playing for England with a World Cup on the horizon (in Australia in 2027), he will want to stay in the country. Why wouldn’t you? But we have to determine that is part of his motivation for staying here.”

Regarding Cowan-Dickie’s second season with the Sharks, Sanderson continued: “It's massive; he is getting better and better. If you saw him that first game against Connacht he was just flying past people in the pre-season game, he wasn’t connecting with anyone.

“Then he starts to find his timing and now he is getting that sweet spot in defence, he is getting some carries in attack, the scrum has been dominant the last two weeks, his lineout ball is creating more mauls at the back than we have for a long time.

“So all the fundamentals of his game are there, and you are going to see more of him physically around the park because he is happy in getting in settled with those basics that he has to get right.

“He is fully in the England picture. He is playing well. I expect him to be in the conversation about getting into that England team and he is playing well. He is in a good spot and we are grateful we have worked through last season and is still involved with us this season and hopefully for seasons to come. That’s the plan.”

Cowan-Dickie was one of just two Sale players named in Borthwick's England training squad of 36. Tom Roebuck, who debuted away to Japan in June, was also included but Ben Curry, Tom Curry, George Ford, Raffi Quirke and Bevan Rodd were all listed by the RFU as "not considered for selection" due to injury. Joe Carpenter, an uncapped player who toured in the summer, was also left out.