Luke Cowan-Dickie: Maturing England hooker ready for leadership role

Luke Cowan-Dickie has been leading out Exeter since returning from injury last month

"It was a no-brainer really," England and British and Irish Lions hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie says when describing being asked to take over as Exeter captain.

Establishing himself in the England pack, he started two of the Lions' three Tests against South Africa last summer and helped Exeter win a domestic and European double in 2020, as well as reach last season's Premiership final.

While the awarding of the Exeter armband to the 28-year-old last month capped a remarkable couple of years for the Cornishman, it also showed a growing maturity for a forward who has become a leader on the field and a father off it.

"I've grown up slightly and I'm getting old, so I have to recover," he says.

"I never used to recover, I never used to do stuff like that really, but I suppose since having my kid and stuff, beforehand rugby was my job, but I used to skip all the recovery, I used to skip the extra stuff that I may need to do.

"Now I'm at the club I can spend an extra half-hour or hour there and get my stuff done, then I know as soon as I get home I can completely switch off."

Swapping sweets for salads

Luke Cowan-Dickie scored a try in the British and Irish Lions' opening Test win over South Africa last summer

That happy home life has also had a big impact in Cowan-Dickie physically - he's lost weight and increased his fitness, as the self-confessed lover of biscuits, chocolate, sweets and his son's leftovers has changed his lifestyle.

"My missus is on a little bit of a health kick, so instead of her cooking a pasta bake for eight people and there's only two of us in the house, so I finish the whole bowl, we probably have a chicken salad," he adds.

And the changes can be felt in his performances.

"I'm trying to be a bit more powerful and lighter, so I can play more minutes at the weekend," he says.

"I played 73 minutes, normally I'm off around 50 or 55, so I'm definitely getting more rugby and I'm feeling fitter for it, and hopefully then I'll make more involvements, so it's a real change at home from eating to training and extras."

Cowan-Dickie's full-blooded style of play has been a trademark throughout his career.

He was at the centre of some controversy after being selected on the bench for the Lions' opening tour match in South Africa a week after being knocked unconscious in Exeter's Premiership final loss to Harlequins last June and would have been Exeter skipper earlier this season had he not been injured against Wasps in October.

"The one thing you can always say about Luke is he's always been a match animal," Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter says.

"It's always been about the game and his performance levels have never wavered in a game, his full-blooded commitment in every single game has never wavered.

"He would admit himself he's not always been the archetypal professional off the field in giving himself the best chance to be the best player he can on the field, and those are some of the things that have evened out as he's matured as a player and become more experienced, and that's what's started to round him off as a leader," Baxter adds.

Returning to the England camp

Luke Cowan-Dickie last played for England against Ireland in last year's Six Nations

That natural progression to a leadership role has extended to England, where he is seen as one of the senior players after his exploits for the Lions.

An England career that began in 2015 saw him initially be second or third choice behind either Dylan Hartley or Jamie George.

Cowan-Dickie was a replacement in the World Cup final in Japan in 2019 and only really established himself with England boss Eddie Jones during last year's Six Nations.

"Previously when I first went into camp I wasn't that confident, new faces, new guys, so I think he [Jones] felt that and knew I wasn't myself," Cowan-Dickie says.

"I was sat behind Dylan and Jamie and I was third choice, so I think he saw an opportunity to push me.

"Whereas now he still pushes me, but I feel like we've definitely got a better relationship, if I've got something on my chest I can tell him and vice versa and I think it's pretty good.

"I think for him if you're yourself when you go into the international environment it definitely puts a good foot forward, somehow he can tell when you're holding back a little bit."

England beat Tonga, Australia and South Africa in their Autumn internationals with Cowan-Dickie watching from the sidelines.

But the Exeter skipper says he has seen a new dimension to the team as they aim for this year's Six Nations and ultimately build-up to the World Cup in France next year.

"Getting injured was absolutely devastating, watching on the field partly I was upset because I knew I could have been there," he says.

"But then seeing them win and seeing how they performed, they definitely looked like a new England team and I'm excited to get back involved and hopefully l get some game time."