Uncertainty continues to hold over the World Cup possibilities of England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie with the Rugby Football Union taking a look at tactics to boost up his go back from an ankle and neck issues.
The 29-year-old noticed a expert on Thursday for an extra review, however Exeter’s director of rugby, Rob Baxter, admits no person is in a position to say when the Cornishman will be capable of resume taking part in.
There has been hypothesis in France that Cowan-Dickie’s summer time transfer to Montpellier could also be beneath danger for clinical causes, with the participant understood to be affected by some nerve harm in his neck. Baxter says Cowan-Dickie, who has now not performed since injuring his ankle towards Northampton in early January, is like “a caged lion” having been compelled to take a seat out all of the Six Nations championship.
“He is having an assessment today, which will give him some guidance, and I think he’s got another one booked in a few weeks’ time,” mentioned Baxter. “The RFU are also investigating various things to see if there’s anything they can do to speed up his recovery because obviously they’re concerned World Cup-wise.
“Everything is being poured into it and I feel a bit sorry for the guy because he’s a bit like a live experiment for everybody. There’s nothing saying definitively here and now that he won’t be fit by the end of the season, but there’s also nothing saying definitively he will be. The issue at the moment is nerve recovery and for any kind of nerve damage that just takes time. He is like a caged lion at the moment, prowling around, trying to get on with things.”
Cowan-Dickie’s soon-to-be employers Montpellier are Exeter’s opponents in the last 16 of the Champions Cup on Sunday, but Baxter says he has heard nothing as yet from the French club about the deal not happening. “I don’t think anyone’s sitting here thinking the move is off,” he mentioned. “Everyone is pondering Luke’s going to make a tight restoration and he will be in a position to move and he will be an excellent participant. We have not had any indication that is going to switch.”
Baxter already has his palms complete after Exeter’s deficient show at Bath on Sunday that has induced a ramification shake-up, with scrum-half Sam Maunder now sidelined for no less than 9 months with a major knee damage. Baxter, alternatively, has rejected ideas that the membership is in disaster after quite a lot of senior avid gamers agreed extra profitable offers in different places.
“I get the impression that people are shocked or surprised, but I could have told you three years ago this was likely to happen,” mentioned Baxter, whose workforce secured a exceptional home and European identify double in 2020. “The writing was on the Wall the minute the salary cap changed and we took the decision to keep our players on full salaries.
“This was always going to be a challenging year for us. I told the board that three years back. From the outside it looks like shock and horror, but the reality is we’ve prepared for it. If we had players no one else wanted, I would have some concerns. This was always going to happen. We’re kind of in that perfect storm a little bit.”
Baxter shed additional gentle at the former Scotland captain Stuart Hogg’s choice to retire from rugby on the finish of the yr on the age of 30. “I’ve to mention that once he first mentioned it, it used to be just a little of a wonder. But when he talked concerning the causes, it made a large number of sense.
“I feel rugby is much less relaxing for him now on account of the bodily preparation it is taking [to play], He’s any person for whom enjoyment has at all times been a key issue. If that begins to get more difficult on account of your bodily situation it takes so much out of the entire level of taking part in rugby.”