Alex Sanderson has confirmed that Luke Cowan-Dickie and Bevan Rodd both suffered season-ending injuries in Sale’s Saturday night Investec Champions Cup win at Harlequins.
Sanderson’s Sharks put an end to their four-match PREM Rugby/European run of defeats by getting the better of their domestic league rivals Quins in London by a scoreline of 26-17.
England hooker Cowan-Dickie was pivotal to the success, scoring two tries, while George Ford, his club and country colleague, added 16 points from the boot to qualify the Manchester club for the Champions Cup quarter-finals.
With Leinster expected to defeat Edinburgh on Sunday evening, that result will see Sale travelling to Ireland next weekend, but that is a trip they will have to make minus the services of Cowan-Dickie and fellow front-rower Bevan Rodd.
“I think that’s probably their season over…”
A dampener was put on Sale’s win at The Stoop when it emerged in the aftermath that Cowan-Dickie had broken either his wrist or his forearm, while loosehead Rodd dislocated their shoulder.
Director of rugby Sanderson described both injuries as season-ending, ruling the front-rowers out of the six remaining matches in the PREM and next weekend’s European assignment.
He also added that the pair were unlikely to be fit in time to tour with England in July. Steve Borthwick’s national team have three matches lined up in the opening part of the new Nations Championship, starting away to South Africa in Johannesburg on July 4.
They also have matches against Fiji in Liverpool on July 11 and against Argentina in Santiago del Estero on July 18.
Cowan-Dickie and Rodd featured in all five of England’s recent Six Nations matches, with the hooker starting twice and playing off the bench on three occasions, while the loosehead was a substitute in all five matches. Their likely unavailability now leaves Borthwick with a headache.
“Luke is a tough boy and he believes he’s broken his wrist or forearm,” explained Sanderson following Saturday night’s Champions Cup final whistle in London.
“Bevan dislocated his shoulder but had it put back in on the field, but I think that’s probably their season over with the summer tour for England also in jeopardy.”
Cowan-Dickie shared the Test-level hooker duties with Jamie George, with Theo Dan an unused member in their Six Nations squad. Rodd, meanwhile, provided back-up to Ellis Genge across the tournament with Fin Baxter unavailable through injury since last December.
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