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Camps issue latest on injured Owen Farrell and Luke Cowan-Dickie

By PA
Owen Farrell boots the ball /PA

Owen Farrell could face a race against time to be fit for England’s Autumn Nations Series opener against Argentina.

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The Saracens captain went off midway through the second-half of his team’s 22-20 Gallagher Premiership victory over Exeter at Sandy Park.

He took a knee to his head in an accidental blow, giving England head coach Eddie Jones an anxious wait on his fly-half ahead of the Pumas’ Twickenham visit on November 6.

Exeter and England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie, meanwhile, suffered a knee injury and did not appear for the second period, handing Jones a potential headache as Saracens’ Jamie George is already out of the autumn Tests because of a foot injury.

It follows injuries to England squad members Jonny May (elbow) and Henry Arundell (ankle) during Friday’s Premiership clash between London Irish and Gloucester.

England face Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa on successive November weekends.

On Farrell, Saracens rugby director Mark McCall said: “He is with the doctors now.

“But obviously, he went off for an HIA (head injury assessment) and normal procedure is a 12-day stand down, but hopefully it will allow him enough time to play in the first Tests.”

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England’s autumn squad head to Jersey on Monday for a training camp, although Farrell, who has won 97 caps during a 10-year Test career, could now be a doubt to make that trip.

McCall added: “I guess it will depend if he is feeling okay. I am sure Eddie would be keen to get him there.”

Reflecting on Cowan-Dickie’s early exit, Exeter head coach Ali Hepher said: “It’s his knee. He couldn’t carry on, but we are not sure of the extent yet. We will have to assess.”

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Alex Goode fired leaders Saracens to a sixth successive Premiership victory as his penalty with the game’s final kick edged out Exeter.

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Chiefs centre Henry Slade looked to have responded to his omission from England’s autumn squad by kicking a decisive penalty four minutes from time.

But Goode, on as a replacement for Farrell and making a record-equalling 338th Saracens first team appearance, came up trumps with the clock in the red.

Farrell and his England colleague Mako Vunipola were earlier yellow carded, with Vunipola – playing his first game after a three-match ban – being sin-binned for collapsing an Exeter driving maul and conceding a penalty try in the process.

But Saracens largely kept their composure on a testing afternoon as flanker Theo McFarland scored a first-half try, while Farrell converted and kicked two penalties, with full-back Elliot Daly adding two long-range strikes and Goode a late clincher.

Exeter had their moments, but not enough of them, to disrupt Saracens’ well-oiled machine, ensuring a tense finish after number eight Jacques Vermeuelen’s 71st-minute try that centre Slade converted, following an early penalty and the penalty try.

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McCall said: “It was two really good sides scrapping it out, fighting it out. Whether we deserved to win I am not sure, but we showed some great fighting qualities.

“We were down to 14 men twice and I liked how we went about that and how physical we were. I don’t think we were as good as we should have been in the second-half.”

On Goode’s match-winner, McCall added: “I think it might have been his first kick of the season. It tells you a lot about Alex Goode that he was prepared to take the responsibility on his shoulders.”

It was Exeter’s second Premiership defeat of the season and they are 14 points behind pace-setters Saracens.

But Hepher said: “We were in the fight. These games come down to tight margins and we’ve got to get more clinical.

“We are in the right space mentally and we’ve everything to work with. We came up a little bit short today.”

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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FEATURE
FEATURE Luke Cowan-Dickie: 'I didn’t feel right. I felt like I was going to pass out. Everything was going black in front of me' Luke Cowan-Dickie: 'I didn’t feel right. I felt like I was going to pass out. Everything was going black in front of me'
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