According to reports, Luke Cowan-Dickie, the hooker for England and Exeter Chiefs, may not be able to move to Top 14 club Montpellier due to medical reasons.
The hooker signed a two-year deal with the reigning champions and is scheduled to join the team along with his current club mates Harry Williams and Sam Simmonds before the start of the next season.
However, French medical officials may block his move due to a neck injury. According to French publication L’Equipe, Cowan-Dickie has cervical neck problems that could prevent him from joining the club.
Although he has been sidelined for an ankle injury that caused him to miss the Six Nations, the club has been alerted to a neck issue.
The 29-year-old will have his neck injury assessed in the next three weeks to determine the extent of the damage, which will decide whether he can play in France.
Initially starting out as a prop at Truro College, Cowan-Dickie was brought into the senior ranks at the Chiefs in 2011, making his debut in an Amlin Challenge Cup clash away to Italian minnows Cavalieri Prato.
Although a more than able performer at loosehead, it was decided that to enhance Cowan-Dickie's hopes of international recognition, a move to that of hooker would allow him to go even further within the game.
In 2013, he was one of five Exeter Chiefs players to help England Under-20s lift the Junior World Championships with a 23-15 victory over Wales in France.
Sam Warburton's 2023 Lions XV
Back-three:
Hugo Keenan (Ireland)
Mack Hansen (Ireland)
Warburton on Hansen: "I’m thinking between (Anthony) Watson/(Mack) Hansen and would probably have to go with Hansen, he has got a bit more form."
Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland)
Centres:
Garry Ringrose (Ireland)
Warburton on Ringrose: " I really like him. He has got proper gas but defensively at 13, I have been watching quite closely and we are seeing so many teams that run that frontline runner and back option and loads of people are just getting sucked in on that front one which opens up the space in the back."
Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland)
Halfbacks:
Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland)
Warburton on Gibson-Park: "“My nine, I’d have to go with (Jamison) Gibson-Park. He only played one game but when he is up and running, he would be the nine."
Front-row:
Pierre Schoeman (Scotland)
Dan Sheehan (Ireland)
Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
Second-row:
James Ryan (Ireland)
Ollie Chessum (England)
Warburton on Chessum: "Very mobile, athletic, aggressive, good lineout operator, works really hard in defence, not just from a tackle perspective but at the ruck as well trying to be a nuisance with counter rucking.
“I just thought he looked very comfortable at Test level, I just thought he looked very good. All the England players had a hiccup against France but take that game out of it, I thought he had an excellent campaign."
Back-row:
Courtney Lawes (England)
Josh van der Flier (Ireland)
Caelan Doris (Ireland)
