Portugal Colonial - England hooker Cowan-Dickie to leave Exeter for Montpellier

England have a rule against picking players with foreign clubs, but while his contract will start in July, Cowan-Dickie, who has 42 England caps, will join the Top 14 side after the Rugby World Cup.

That means the 29-year-old, like back-rower Sam Simmonds, another player moving from Exeter Chiefs to Montpellier, and Zach Mercer, a back row forward leaving Montpellier for Gloucester in the summer, could be eligible for selection in at the World Cup which runs from September 8 to October 28 in France.

"Playing for England is the pinnacle of your career, so it's tough to leave that behind," Cowan-Dickie told the Chiefs website.

"We've got the Six Nations coming up, then the World Cup, and I want to be involved in both."

Cowan-Dickie has spent more than a decade at Sandy Park making 163 appearances, scoring 36 tries and winning the European Champions Cup in 2020 and two English Premiership titles.

"It's gutting to be leaving," he said.

"I've been at the Chiefs for 12 years and it's all I've known. That said, this opportunity came up and it was one that I had to think long and hard about."

Cowan-Dickie will share the hooker position at Montpellier with Australia's Brandon Paenga-Amosa as former France front rower Guilhem Guirado retired in June.

"Luke Cowan-Dickie is one of the best hookers in Europe," Montpellier director of rugby Philippe Saint-Andre said.

"He is a very experienced player, who has decided to try his luck in a new league after the 2023 World Cup, and we are very happy that he has chosen Montpellier,"

A.S.Diogo--PC