Exeter Chiefs have certainly taken a light-hearted approach, to the upcoming departure of Luke Cowan-Dickie. The Chiefs posted on their Instagram account a short video of senior coach Nic Sestaret, teaching the Chiefs hooker useful French words and phrases.
Cowan-Dickie is referred to as “Money Bags Scrooge McDuck” in the caption, and is frustratingly taught the French phrases “gros salaire” and “beaucoup d’argent”, meaning “massive pay check” and “lots of money”. Sestaret is a former Chiefs winger, who played from 2008-2014. He now works as an educator for the first team, alongside his coaching roles.
The witty video shines light on a difficult time at Sandy Park, with Cowan-Dickie’s departure to Montpellier being one of many stars potentially leaving the club at the end of the season.
The 29-year-old is also taught the French word “riche”, which he deciphered to reflect his reported salary of over £300,000 a year. As many as seven Exeter Chiefs fan favourites could be leaving the club with the England and British Lions front rower. Dave Ewers, Sam Simmonds, Jack Nowell, Joe Simmonds, Stuart Hogg and Jannes Kirsten have all been discussed to have an uncertain future in Devon.
This mass upheaval of players comes from Exeter Chiefs being unable to match the wages, which other clubs have been offering. The new reduced £5m salary cap has taken a significant toll on the Chiefs, after the departures of Jonny Hill, Sam Skinner and Tom O’Flaherty last summer.
Exeter exodus reaches SEVEN with another fan favourite set to depart
Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter certainly has a tough balancing act on his hands to keep his squad intact ahead of the 2023/24 season.
Director fo Rugby Rob Baxter had to let the likes of Jonny Hill, Sam Skinner and Tom O’Flaherty leave the club this summer after being unable to match their wage offers elsewhere due to the reduced £5m salary cap all Premiership clubs are operating under this season.
The latest name linked with a potential exit from Sandy Park is fan favourite Dave Ewers.
According to The Rugby Paper, he will join the exodus from Exeter Chiefs at the end of the season after sealing a move to join Ulster in the United Rugby Championship when his contract ends.
The 32-year-old back rower, below, who joined the Chiefs in 2010 and had a spell on loan at Cornish Pirates at the start of his career, had been expected to move to France this summer but Ulster have won the race to sign him up.
Baxter is reportedly targeting England number 8 Callum Chick from Newcastle Falcons.
SIX OTHER LIKELY EXETER DEPARTURES:
#1. Sam Simmonds
The number 8 has already confirmed this will be his final season with the Chiefs as a move to Top 14 heavyweights Montpellier has already been agreed.
“I knew that that decision of playing abroad, you wouldn’t be able to be selected for England, but for me I felt like I’m focused on the here and now,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“I feel like I can still have such an effect in an England shirt, such an effect in an Exeter Chiefs shirt for the next 12 months now, and I think I’m at peace with that decision.
“There’s plenty of players that are going to be coming up behind me and I felt that it was the right time to make a decision for after the World Cup to pursue a new life in France, and for my family and for me to experience that because I have loved my time at Exeter, but I haven’t experienced anything outside of Devon,” he added.
“I feel it was the right decision at the right time and we’ll see how it goes.
“We’ve seen what’s happened recently with clubs unfortunately in England, so it’s a decision I’ve thought about a lot, but ultimately felt like I needed to make that decision.”
#2. Luke Cowan-Dickie
According to the Mail Online, he’s signed a massive contract post 2023 Rugby World Cup, where he will earn more than £300k *post tax* per year with Montpellier.
“Playing for England is the pinnacle of your career, so it’s tough to leave that behind,” Cowan-Dickie told the Chiefs website.
“We’ve got the Six Nations coming up, then the World Cup, and I want to be involved in both.”
Cowan-Dickie has spent more than a decade at Sandy Park making 163 appearances, scoring 36 tries and winning the European Champions Cup in 2020 and two English Premiership titles.
“It’s gutting to be leaving,” he said.
“I’ve been at the Chiefs for 12 years and it’s all I’ve known. That said, this opportunity came up and it was one that I had to think long and hard about.”
