Luke Cowan-Dickey plays the game of waiting, respectfully, back to action. Dickie was 'placed in a sobering-up station' in France after he was stopped by police at 4:30 am for 'social drunkenness'.
The 29-year-old has not been arrested since the incident, which took place early Wednesday during a night out in Montpellier, which Cowan-Dickey is due to join next season, but was pulled over outside a nightclub and taken to jail. in a cell to sober up.
A statement from Fabrice Bélarjean, public prosecutor in Montpellier, states: “I confirm that the person in question was subjected to a procedure of open and public drunkenness after he was stopped by the Montpellier municipal police at 4 :30 am April 19 in front of a nightclub. He was placed in a cell degriz [drunk tank or sobering-up station].”
The incident came as Cowan-Dickey would spend an indefinite period on the sidelines and no timeline was given for his return due to a neck injury, casting doubt on both his place in England's World Cup plans and his proposed move to Montpellier. As it became known to Telegraph Sport, he passed the first part of the medical examination in Montpellier.
Rob Baxter, director of rugby for the Chiefs, said on Thursday that the version of events is «grossly exaggerated». Baxter was keen to emphasize that Cowan-Dickey, who has won 38 caps for England and three caps each for Great Britain and Ireland, should still join Montpellier.
Cowan-Dickey's injury while playing for Exeter against Northampton ruined the rest of the year. Photo: PA/David Rogers
“Luke is obviously currently injured and he asked me a while ago about the timing and the medical trip,” Baxter said, speaking before the French prosecutor’s statement. «All was good. We took it all away and he left. I had conversations with Luke and he said he didn't fail his physical. This is something that has been greatly hyped. I think he's showing up again just to finish off a couple of beats that the French would like to investigate in terms of his injuries.
"He didn't fail the physical and didn't show up for the physical. I'm not saying that this is just a pie in the sky, because there is some truth in everything. But since he did not show up, and the contract was canceled and thrown away, this is not so.
“If the element is drinking in a bar at some stage, then I would probably say yes. Beyond that, I think there was probably a fair amount of journalistic license in some of the things that happened.”
Cowan-Dickey's fitness will be of great concern to England head coach Steve Borthwick. The Harlequins' Jack Walker was on the bench in the Six Nations but played only 28 minutes and finished as an unused substitute in two games. Newcastle's Jamie Blamire and Bath's Tom Dunn are the alternatives, while the shares of the unclosed Saracen Theo Dan are rising fast.
As the first set of players are due to start training for the World Cup in England on 11 June Baxter can give no guarantee that Cowan-Dickey, who hasn't played since an ankle injury in January, will be available for selection.
“The nerve problem is a matter of time scale,” Baxter said. “Historically, it can take a long time, or you can recover quickly. It's something like «how long is the piece of rope?» I know that England is investigating if there is anything they can do to speed up the process, as we are, but this is not a problem that has a definitive answer.» /p> 
There are problems recovering Cowan-Dickey from a nerve injury in his neck. Photo: Getty Images/Ben Hoskins
Players who join French clubs must undergo a more thorough medical examination than in the Premier League. In 2014, the Saracens signed Argentine player Juan Figallo after he was found to have problems with the G3's neck that made him ineligible to play for a top 14 club.
«Well, obviously, that's what's being investigated,» Baxter said. “This is what they are looking at now. I think they need more information about the nerve damage from the last operation. I have to be very careful, because a lot of this is confidential medical information for Luke. All I know is that Luke said that there was a lot of hype around everything. At this point, Luke is told that everything is fine. They want it to reappear at some stage in a few weeks or so, just to take another look at their stuff. But reports that it's all done and his contract is up couldn't be further from the truth.»
If the move were cancelled, Cowen-Dickey would have relatively few options as most clubs have already completed recruitment for next season. “If all of this fails, I expect that we will explore the possibilities to at least try to take care of him during his recovery from injury and continue,” Baxter said. “That would be my expectation. Of course, we'd like to do something to take care of him.»
Telegraph Sport's Borthwick analysis conveyed an early headache as history repeats itself
As if Borthwick didn't have enough in his World Cup tray, official confirmation that Cowen-Dickey spent the early hours of Wednesday morning last week in a 'drunk tank' in Montpellier would be the last thing the England head coach needed. now.
It's hard to think of a World Cup year that didn't feature off-field controversy involving England players. Perhaps it's a good thing that Borthwick, who is still in the process of building his coaching team for the World Cup, is getting out of the way early. Martin Johnson no doubt still shudders at the memory of the series of dramas that derailed England's campaign at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.
A Cowan-Dickey night on the tiles may not seem like the worst of transgressions, but it is may be one of the most expensive.
There are several problems here. First, the Exeter Chiefs prostitute is currently battling a neck injury that could potentially threaten his lucrative move to France, his participation in the World Cup, and perhaps, in the worst case, even his career.
Recovery from nerve injury is always difficult to predict, both in terms of the amount of rehabilitation and timing. As Baxter said Thursday, when asked about Cowan-Dickey's recovery: «How long is the piece of rope?»
Cowan-Dickey and Borthwick will hope the piece of rope doesn't go beyond the start of the Worlds in September. As one of England's two frontline prostitutes, the 2021 Lions Test forward will be pivotal to their hopes.
This makes it understandable that there is significant frustration in England camp that not only has his drinking attracted unnecessary attention, but suggests that he is not doing everything he can to get back in shape, not just for the World Cup. but also to extend his career. Especially given that the prostitute is one of the positions where the talent depth charts in England are alarmingly low.
When Borthwick took over as England manager in December, he promised the players that they would be treated with respect, whatever their role in the team, and that he wanted to create an atmosphere in which it would be a pleasure to play for England again. . However, this commitment also requires the players to agree to do their best to prepare for the rugby test match.
Bortwick has already publicly and privately expressed concern about the fitness of his players and urged them to do extra job so he doesn't have to dedicate much of England's training camp for the World Fitness Championships.
With the Cowan-Dickey stance, it's even more poignant given that his current schedule to make it in time for the World Cup will presumably require him to do everything right to put himself in a position worthy of attention. He is said to have passed the first part of his medical in Montpellier, which is at least a positive thing as French clubs are traditionally strict about assessing neck injuries.
Still, it is not surprising that Borthwick is considered to be showing great interest in Dan's progress, who progresses rapidly under the tutelage of Jamie George. He could still be the English World Cup bolter, although it is known that Jack Walker, who suffered a feared leg injury while playing for the Harlequins against Bath last weekend, is not as bad as first feared.
Nevertheless, Cowan — Dickie remains the main prostitute in England. If he can get back in shape, he can get his #2 shirt back. Let's just hope there's still time.
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