Capital test excites Cowan-Dickie
By Mark Stevens
5/5/18
Luke Cowan-Dickie insists Exeter Chiefs can ill afford to switch off when they face Harlequins in today’s final match of the regular Aviva Premiership season.
The defending champions head to The Stoop safe in the knowledge that a home semi-final and top spot in the Premiership have already been secured following a campaign which has already yielded 16 wins from 21 outings.
Keen to kick on ahead of their upcoming semi-final against either Newcastle Falcons or Wasps, Cowan-Dickie says it’s imperative the Chiefs continue to generate momentum, starting with their trip to the capital.
“Speaking this week, we know we have a home semi-final to come, but it’s all about building momentum,” said the Cornishman. “Quins’ haven’t been going all that great, but it’s their last home game, the weather should be nice, so they look to throw it around and we’re aware of the threat they pose.
“The boys, though, are ready to go. We know we can’t afford to switch off and it’s all producing a big performance. Each year we’re learning from the experiences, but this is the business end of the season and this is where you have to make things count.
“We’ve hit the milestone of finishing top in the Premiership, which we’ve never done before, and it’s something we should be proud of.We’ve got the semi-final coming up and it’s always exciting to be in semi-finals and finals, so you can see things are cranking up.”
Cowan-Dickie added: “Training is revving up now, boys are getting a bit feisty, and there is real competition across the squad.All of us know we can’t afford to switch off because these are really big games coming up. As I said, we know what Quins will bring, but the main focus has to be on ourselves and making sure we do the right things.
“In attack against Sale we were really good, but we did let them in for a few soft scores.We’ve talked about that this week and we’ve been back to the drawing board, but this weekend will be good test for us and we’ll use it to build up for the semi.
“Those of us who have the shirt have a real opportunity, but at the same time we know we have to perform, not just as a team, but as individuals as well, because if you don’t play well there will be guys waiting to fill your jersey.That’s the strength of our squad, we don’t have any superstars, but we’re all pretty much on the same level.”