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What Exeter made of the yellow-carded Cowan-Dickie England error
Rob Baxter has claimed that if there was any front-rower he would have backed to catch a crossfield kick it would have been Luke Cowan-Dickie, the England hooker who was yellow-carded for flapping the ball into touch at Murrayfield when under pressure from Darcy Graham.
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The England defence had found itself manipulated in the closing section of the Guinness Six Nations match against Scotland it led to the scenario where Cowan-Dickie had retreated from a ruck and taken up a position as the last defender on the wing who soon found himself having to defend a Finn Russell kick to the corner.
Flapping the ball into touch resulted in referee Ben O’Keeffe yellow-carding Cowan-Dickie and awarding Scotland the penalty try that pulled them level in the match at 17-all and then they went on to win 20-17 with a follow-up penalty that stemmed from a scrum infringement.
England had looked set for victory having silenced the Murrayfield crowd with a dominant second-half display that turned a four-point interval deficit into a seven-point lead but they were caught napping by the Cowan-Dickie incident and were unable to recover their momentum.
Exeter boss Baxter watched the England match unfold from afar as his Gallagher Premiership team had been in action that same afternoon against Wasps at Sandy Park and he had backed Cowan-Dickie to make the when he saw the incident happen. “I’ll be honest, if there is ever a guy in the front row that I thought might have come up with that catch it would be Dickie because he is a good ballplayer,” said Baxter when quizzed by RugbyPass on Wednesday.
“I bet if you asked him, there is a couple of split seconds in his head there where he doesn’t probably quite know what he has done. He has probably just been a bit reactive in a difficult situation that obviously won’t be commonplace for him, competing for a high ball out wide and it has just been one of those things.
“It’s not one of those things where I would try and make a coaching point of view of it, particularly because there isn’t one to make. The whole thing has broken down and to end up with him kind of on his own as the last man in defence, other things have gone wrong for that to happen.
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“He has ended up there and he has given it his best shot and then he has made a miscalculation by flapping at the ball. It looks like if he makes an out-and-out attempt to catch it he probably stops the try anyway. That is what he has got to do because if it is a genuine knock-on from really going for the ball that might have stopped the try.
“He himself will shake his head about it and get on with things. That is all you can do. Trying to overanalyse it is almost worthless because there isn’t anything to analyse from it.”
Has Baxter been in touch with Cowan-Dickie since the much-commented yellow card? “No, I don’t need to because I know he will be fine. If I phoned him he will just go, ‘Yeah, I’m fine, I’ll get on with it, training is okay. It’s alright’. That would be how he would be. He doesn’t need me to give him any kind of advice on what to do in that scenario.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Think you might have written this just before the Brumbies got thrashed last weekend
5 Go to commentsI really do believe that Billy Proctor should be selected at least in the larger squad but also it would be my choice at 13, much more a center than Ioane who can still play at wing. Roigard if fit should play, otherwise it should be Perenara or Christie. Also, Iose could deserve a spot at blindside. Of course, being a Canes supporter I’m biased but I really believe that at least Billy P is deserving a chance and being Holland one of the Selectors, I’m having a little hope he could grab it.
12 Go to commentsI would not play Swinton I’d pick Wright or Hanigan. The rest are decent starters, but can’t agree on any subs except Tupou. My take on the subs: Gibbon, Ueslese, Tupou, LSL, Wilson, White, Will Harrison, and Petaia.
5 Go to commentsSBW the biggest moron to pull on a black jersey a park footy player at best
7 Go to commentsSBW is fast becoming a laughing stock, his misplaced comments & lack of insight Is actually pretty sad.
7 Go to commentsJust well you guys are couch 🛋 potatoes selector's, picking a team of greenhorns to play England! “What are you people smoking?” The halfbacks will be Christie, Fakatava, Perenara Props; Newell, Bower, Lomax, Tunga'fasi, Hookers; Asosa Amua when fit, Taylor, Samisoni,
12 Go to commentsQuite frankly, all this is a bit pathetic. The first time Wales get the Wooden Spoon in 21 years and everyone is on the bandwagon for a ‘play-off’ game. Wales have no obligation to Georgia and no obligation to the rest of the Six Nations to play such a game. If they want Georgia in so badly then they need to include South Africa into a Northern Hemisphere competition with 2 leagues of 4 teams with the top 2 competing for the Championship. Sadly, this will end Triple Crowns and Grand Slams forever. Is this really what you want?
4 Go to commentsI think Finau to start Blackadder to come on. Poss Prokter instead of Ioane, haven't seen much from Reiko so far this year.
12 Go to commentsJoe will have had a good chat with Dave Rennie, a smart move to begin with while it’s doubtful Fast Eddie will be consulted? Plenty of Aus players hitting top form so they should go OK.
5 Go to commentsMmm. Not sure I like this article or see it as necessary.
7 Go to commentsBlackadder but no Finau! 😀 It’s Razor so you are probably right, plus Taylor at 2…
12 Go to commentsThe strongest possible AB side would actually include Aaron Smith, Bodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Shannon Frizzel.. don’t get me started on the rest of the injury hit brigade that got flung on the heap so left. Many a whole not getting filled as of yet.
12 Go to commentsI don’t think anyone knows what Schmidt will do, one thing is certain it ain’t gonna be all the picks we on the keyboard will think. My impression of him is that he will be looking at who can step up and what is the best combination. He will ignore individuals as he looks for guys who can build a powerful team and not just guys who can make a flashy run or ignore the winger as they want to score themselves.
5 Go to commentsSome dumb selections there. Not Porecki Not Donaldson Not Gordon Not Lonegran - both Not Nic White - Fines instead Not Liam Wright Not Paisami Definitely not Vunivalu Other than that not bad.
5 Go to commentsI've never been convinced that Patty T is a test match all black. Otherwise I probably agree it's the best side available to beat the poms. Caveat that Codie Taylor is yet to be seen and could very likely warrant selection by June. I hope that Razor brings the young loosies, half backs and locks into the training squad and develops/ selects the best
12 Go to commentsYou doing the same thing I disliked about the example of Samisoni Taukei'aho, Nick. He’s great the way he is, you’re trying to do what modern-day coaches frustrate me doing, turning everyone into the perfect athlete. Next thing you’ll be telling me you’ll bench him until he’s hit that arbitrary marker, and can’t overtake the current guy who’s doing all his workons. He’s a young Kieran Read, through and through, plays wide and has threat, mainly (and evident in your clips) through his two hand carry and speed. Just let him work on that, or whatever he wants, and determine his own future. Play God and you risk the players going sideways, like Read did, instead of being a Toutai Kefu. I mean I was in the same camp for a while, wanting our tight five to have the size, and carry ability, as the teams they were getting beat by. Now I’m starting to believe those teams just have better skilled and practiced individuals, bigger by upwards of 5kg sometimes, sure, but more influentially they have those intrinsic skills of trust and awareness. Basically our guys just didn’t know wtf they were doing. Don’t think I’m trying to prove a point here but hasn’t Caleb Clarke been in much better form this year, or does he just ‘look’ better now that he’s not always trying to use his size?
46 Go to commentsThe pack lacks a little in height for the line out and I wouldn’t be completely convinced by some of the combinations till we see it in action.
12 Go to commentsThe side is good but lacks experience. International playing bona fides udually trumps super rugby form for good reason. And incumbents are usually stuck with. Codie Taylor should start or come off the bench. B Barrett will start at fullback. Blackadder has not earned the position, Finau has. TJs experience and competitiveness earns him a starting role, Christie or Ratima off the bench
12 Go to commentsPretty good side. Scott Barrett should be the captain. Ethan Blackadder a great choice at blindside. He is going to go from strength to strength having made a couple of starts for the Crusaders. Scott Robertson rates him highly. Perenara could start a no 9.
12 Go to commentsI question and with respect. Was enough done over the last few years to bring through new blood knowing the Whitelocks and co couldn’t last forever. There should have been more done to future proof the team. New squad new coach, he and they weren’t set up well. IMO
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