Cowan-Dickie relishes England chance

It may well be considered the 'acid test' for any professional rugby player, but Exeter Chiefs hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie admits he would love to have a crack at world champions New Zealand on their own turf this summer.

The 20-year-old Cornishman was this week handed his big chance by England coach Stuart Lancaster when he was named among a 30-man squad who will head to the Southern Hemisphere to tackle the formidable All Blacks.

Joined by club colleague Tom Johnson on the trip, the talented hooker has enjoyed a stellar 12 months with club and country and now aims to top it off by claiming his first-ever appearance for the national side.

"It's been an amazing year for me," said Cowan-Dickie, who was one of five Chiefs who last summer helped England's Under-20s to claim the Junior World Championship for the first time. "I can't quite believe some of the things I've done, but I know I want more of it and to do that I know I have to work hard.

"Getting the call-up for this tour is just awesome and I still can't quite believe it. It's slowly beginning to sink in now, especially knowing that I am on the plane to New Zealand, but it's a great feeling. I've not really stopped smiling since Stuart sat me down and said I would be going. Now I can't wait to get over there and experience it all."

In what is set to be a gruelling schedule for England, Lancaster's men will play three Test matches in Auckland (June 7), Dunedin (June 14) and Hamilton (June 21), as well as the non-cap game against Canterbury Crusaders on June 17.

As one of seven uncapped players on the trip, Cowan-Dickie is aware of the challenge that awaits the Red Rose country over the coming weeks.

"I don't think you can get a tougher tour than this," he said. "We know it's going to be tough over there, but as players you want to come up against the very best players and test yourself in environments that you're not used to. New Zealand, we all know, are the world champions, so it's going to be a real challenge, but it's one we are all looking forward to."

Whether Cowan-Dickie - a product of the Chiefs Academy system - gets his chance only time will tell, but for the former Truro College student operating at the top end of the game is something he has always craved since first picking up a rugby ball with the Pirates Mini/Junior section.

"Like I said, this year has been brilliant for me," he continued. "It started with the Junior World Cup and although I got injured in pre-season - which was disappointing and set me back a bit - I managed to get back to fitness and finish the season strongly.

"My initial aim was just to try and get some game time in the Premiership and try and break into the Chiefs team, but in the end I managed to get a fair bit of game time towards the end season and played in both the Premiership and Heineken Cup, which was really good. Also we won the LV= Cup, so getting those opportunities has really helped to bring my game on."

Now Cowan-Dickie is looking to show his undoubted talents to the England coaches during this tour and last week's training camp, where he was joined at the Lensbury club by team-mates Johnson, Sam Hill, Dave Ewers and Henry Slade. This weekend the latter three will all line-up for England at Twickenham in a non-capped fixture against a star-studded Barbarians side.

And with Jack Nowell also emerging on the international scene this season during the Six Nations, the strides being made by the young Chiefs is something that is clearly setting a bright future for those at Exeter Rugby Club.

"Nowellsy dropped me a few texts when it got announced and TJ has been talking to me lots and helping me because he's been around the side for a while now," explained the young forward. "Also it was good having the likes of Sladey, Hilly and Dave in the training group as well because we're all relatively new to the set-up, so it's nice to have a some friendly faces around the places."

Among those keep a close eye on Cowan-Dickie's progress is England forwards coach Graham Rowntree, who according to the Chiefs young gun has been keen to offer plenty of advice to him ahead of the New Zealand tour.

"I've just tried to keep my head down and work as hard as I can," he said. "The coaches, especially Graham, have been brilliant with me and they've all been offering advice to me all the time. Those few little pointers have been really valuable and hopefully it will just add to my game."

Photo: Exeter Rugby Club/Pinnacle Photo Agency