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Luke Cowan-Dickie learns fate in England camp for incident with Tom Willis
By Josh Raisey
Sale Sharks hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie has avoided a ban after an independent panel decided to overturn the 20-minute red card he received against Saracens on Saturday in the Gallagher PREM.
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The England hooker was dismissed by referee Matthew Carley shortly after half time at the StoneX for a high tackle on Saracens’ Tom Willis.
A day later, the hooker was named as one of three hookers, alongside Jamie George and Theo Dan, in Steve Borthwick’s England squad for a three-day training camp this week at Pennyhill Park.
Borthwick would have been nervously waiting the outcome of the hearing this week, fearing he would lose an option fresh from touring with the British & Irish Lions this summer.
The 32-year-old will now be available to run out for his club this weekend, where Sale will look to bounce back from their 65-14 defeat in London when they head to Welford Road to face Leicester Tigers.
The red card reduced Sale to 13 men for the next nine minutes as winger Tom O’Flaherty was also in the sin bin for taking Noah Caluori out in the air in a try-scoring situation – which could have resulted in the teenager scoring six tries. By the time Cowan-Dickie’s replacement Nathan Jibulu had come onto the field after 20 minutes, the hosts had opened a 48-14 lead and put the game to bed.
A Sale statement reads: “The case of Luke Cowan-Dickie, Sale Sharks, was heard on papers by an independent panel chaired by Daniel Gore (Chair), Becky Essex and Tony Wheat.
“Luke Cowan-Dickie was shown a 20-minute red card for a dangerous tackle and contact with an opponent’s head, contrary to World Rugby Law 9.13, during a game against Saracens on Saturday 18th October.
“The panel convened yesterday evening to hear the case and, after careful deliberation, has decided to overturn the red card issued to Cowan-Dickie. The panel had the advantage of hearing oral testimony from both players involved in the incident. Additionally, they reviewed video footage from various angles and considered submissions from all parties concerned.
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“Taking all this evidence into account, and without any criticism of the Match Official Team, the panel concluded that the red card should be overturned. As a result, Cowan-Dickie is free to play with immediate effect.”