Luke sets his sights high

By Mark Stevens

Fresh from helping England's Under-20s to Junior World Championship success during the summer, Exeter Chiefs youngster Luke Cowan-Dickie has set himself a new aim ahead of the forthcoming 2013/14 campaign.

That aim is to follow the lead of close friends Jack Nowell and Henry Slade, themselves other members of the winning Red Rose team in France, and look to work his way into a Chiefs squad in the Aviva Premiership.

Last term both Nowell and Slade did just that as head coach Rob Baxter rewarded their efforts in training and on the field itself with appearances in English rugby's top flight.

Now, the highly-rated Cornishman hopes to tread a similar path this season in his somewhat new role as a hooker.

The 20-year-old had his first taste of life in the middle of the scrum last season - and although he plied his trade both as a prop and a hooker for England this summer - the long-term plan is for Cowan-Dickie to establish himself as an out-and-out No.2.

“I am feeling more at home at hooker now, I haven’t played prop for a while,” he said. “When I first started moving across I was try to think more of prop/hooker and I played a bit of both for a while. Now, though, I can see they want me full-time at hooker so it’s more I'm a hooker that can play prop.

“I don’t mind playing hooker at all, so long as I can sort out my throwing and my hooking in the scrums it will all be good.”

Last Saturday in Wales, Cowan-Dickie was given his chance to impress the Chiefs coaching staff as a hooker, featuring for the final quarter in the club's 23-15 win over the Scarlets. And this weekend the Truro-born forward will get another opportunity when Exeter play host to Bristol at Sandy Park.

"It’s really good to get a start [against Bristol]," he added. "Last year I didn’t get to play in the warm-up games because I was down at Plymouth, but I played 20 minutes at ther Scarlets and to get a start in this game is a great opportunity for me now to push on.”

With just a couple of weeks to go until the Chiefs kick-off their Premiership game at Northampton Saints (Sept 7), the battle for places within that first match-day squad is sure to intensify and it's games like this weekend that matter most for all the players.

“It would be good if I could force my way into the squad, but at the minute I’m still progressing as a hooker, learning how to throw and scrummage in the middle,” said Cowan-Dickie. “I’ve only had a few games there really.

“It would be great to get some game time in the Premiership this year, maybe 10 minutes here and there. If it does go really well my chance may come, but I’m just looking to keep progressing at the minute and see how it goes from there.”

And as for the threat of Bristol - a side the Chiefs have not tackled since they defeated them in the Championship Play-Off Final in 2010 - Cowan-Dickie expects a stern challenge.

"We know it’s going to be a tough game. We’re giving everyone a game and putting out as strong a side as we can," he continued. "I played with Plymouth against them in the Championship and they are a physical side. That said, we’ll be looking for a big game and hopefully we can do what we’ve been working on in training and get the win."

Tickets for Saturday's friendly are still available either online by clicking here or through the Trading Post, which is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm. The club ticket office will also be open from 12 noon on the day of the game for any late sales.