Cowan-Dickie leaves England camp

By Mark Stevens
29/1/20

England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie has returned home from their training camp in Portugal for personal reasons, ahead of the Six Nations opener in France on Sunday.

The Cornishman is now a doubt for the encounter with France, according to defence coach John Mitchell, so Saracens' Jack Singleton is on standby to replace Cowan-Dickie, should the 26-year-old have to miss the game in Paris.

Mitchell said: "Luke's gone back home for family reasons. We obviously want to respect that for him, but we've got plans in place should things lead to him not being able to return to Paris. Jack Singleton is on standby.

"At the end of the day, family comes first. We need to make sure Luke's happy and deals with what he has to deal with."

The Exeter Chiefs forward, who was a part of the England squad that reached the 2019 Rugby World Cup final, has scored five tries in 20 international caps.