• Mako Vunipola also misses training with eye problem
England are taking the scenic route into this Six Nations, opting to relocate from Portugal to Paris in the lead‑up to their opening fixture against France rather than returning to home comforts. A few days in the Algarve paid off a year ago when they secured a resounding round‑one win in Dublin but even the best-laid plans can be disrupted at any time.
In this instance the Exeter hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie, who had been pressing for Jamie George’s starting place, has had to return to the UK for family reasons, opening up the prospect of Bath’s Tom Dunn winning an unexpected first cap off the bench.
Written by Robert Kitson in Vilamoura
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jan/29/luke-cowan-dickie-may-miss-england-six-nations-opener-france-rugby-union under the title “‘Go get ’em and whack ’em’: Ford urges England to be both brutal and smart”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.