Director of rugby Alex Sanderson has disclosed that Sale Sharks could provide a pathway for Luke Cowan-Dickie to return to the Premiership if his contract with Montpellier falls through.
It has been reported in France that Montpellier might withdraw from signing the England hooker from Exeter Chiefs after a medical examination revealed a nerve issue compromising Cowan-Dickie’s strength.
He had already been out of action since January with an ankle injury that kept him from playing for Exeter Chiefs and participating in England’s Six Nations campaign.
His rescheduled medical examination for the neck issue at Montpellier was “inconclusive” and forced the club to cancel his two-year contract with an option of a third year.
Cowan-Dickie’s recent incident with the police for public drunkenness during his trip to France has not helped his chances with the Top 14 club, and Tolu Latu, the Australian hooker, has been suggested as a possible replacement by Midi Olympique.
Although Sale had previously been linked with Latu, Sanderson has learned that the team has signed him for twice the amount that Sale offered, making it impossible for them to pursue him due to salary cap restrictions.
However, Sanderson expressed interest in Cowan-Dickie, indicating that Jonny Hill and Tom O’Flaherty had settled well in his team after moving from Exeter last summer, and with Ewan Ashman moving to Edinburgh at the end of the current season, there is a vacancy for another hooker at Sale.
“Pool of death” – England and Wales handed nightmare groups in revised Rugby World Cup draw
The latest World Rugby Rankings reaffirm home how ridiculous the Pool Draw for the Rugby World Cup 2023 is.
Decided THREE years before the tournament, the pools for the tournament that starts in September seems extremely unbalanced.
World Rugby has already confirmed they will hold the pool draws for future Rugby World Cups at a later date, closer to the kick-off of upcoming tournaments.
This comes after criticism that the draws were taking place far too early, with world rankings at the time of the draw playing a crucial role in the teams’ seedings.
World Rugby will shake the pool draw up ahead of 2027, according to a report by the Mirror.
“World Rugby said it is able to make the change because of a new ‘hosting model’ that sees the international federation create collaborations with the host union,” the report read.
“The top of the men’s Test game has never been more competitive,” the spokesperson added. “There has never been so much movement over a two-year period.
“Bearing that in mind and noting the format of four pools of five teams, there is arguably no perfect time for a draw.”
As a result, the guys over at Eggchasers Rugby put together their own drawer the 2023 tournament based on the current World Rugby rankings.
Concentrating on only the top 10 countries in the world, it looks significant.
It was very different with England and Wales handed a much sterner test in their pool. Watch the full video here.
POOL A actual draw:
- France
- New Zealand
POOL A up to date draw
- France
- Australia