England and Exeter Chiefs hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie may not move to Top 14 club Montpellier due to medical reasons, reports suggest.
Cowan-Dickie has signed with the reigning champions and is set to join the club ahead of next season along with current club mates Harry Williams and Sam Simmonds.
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Move could be blocked
He penned a two-year deal, with the option of third, ahead of next season, leaving Exeter after 13 years at the side.
However, the hooker’s move could be blocked by French medical officials due to a neck injury.
French publication L’Equipe report that the England international has cervical problems that could prevent him from joining the club.
It is noted that Cowan-Dickie has been sidelined for an ankle injury, which saw him miss the Six Nations, but the club has been alerted to a neck issue.
The 29-year-old will get it assessed in the next three weeks to determine the extent of the damage, which will decide whether he can play in France.
The regulations in France are far stricter than those in England, as Cowan-Dickie will hope that his injury is not rated G3. This classification would prevent him from joining Montpellier.
Previous G3 cases
A similar situation occurred with France hooker Christopher Tolofua. He had to leave Toulouse in 2017 after his neck issue was classified as a G3 case.
He joined Saracens and played in the Premiership and Champions Cup for the side between 2017 and 2019.
After a successful operation, he was able to return to France and signed for Toulon.
While both these cases involve the neck, there are other examples where France’s strict medical guidelines have come into play.
Racing 92 and Les Bleus’ centre Virimi Vakatawa called time on his career due to a ‘cardiological anomaly’ discovered in 2019.
While his heart condition did not meet the G3 rating initially, it evolved by 2022, making him ineligible for Racing and France.
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