Knee injury sidelines England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie

England international Luke Cowan-Dickie is set to spend time on the sidelines following his latest injury setback.

The 28-year-old sustained a knee injury during England's win over Wales where he was forced off the field in the first half.

Having been part of the British and Irish Lions during their tour of South Africa, Cowan-Dickie suffered injury to ankle ligaments in October limiting his appearances for Exeter Chiefs to just eight games this season.

Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter confirmed the news on Cowan-Dickie while revealing that he could possibly be out for the remainder of the season.

"It’s a pretty significant knee ligament injury, which will need an operation," said Baxter. "He’s going to be out for a significant amount of time, possibly until the end of the season.

"Obviously it’s a big blow, not just for us, but for Luke himself as he is a very important and very good player. We have got some hope that he could feature towards the end of the season, that is if we extend our season from getting into that top four, but right now it’s too early to say if that’s fully the case.

"As I said, the biggest blow is for Luke himself as he’s just cemented himself as a starter for England. He’s going well, he’s part of their leadership group and he’s a key player both for us and England.

"That said, he’s a very good rehabber and if there is a chance for him to get back, 100% he is the guy who can do it, so don’t write him off just yet."

With Cowan-Dickie ruled out of the final two games of the Six Nations, England coach Eddie Jones is likely to persist with Saracens' Jamie George as the first-choice hooker with Newcastle's Jamie Blamire providing back up.

England are positioned third in the Six Nations table with two wins from three games.