by After establishing himself in a restless Exeter side punching above his weight near the Premier League summit, Henry Slade finds himself in a prime position to be included in Steve Borthwick’s Six Nations squad.
When Slade was single-handedly ruled out of England’s World Cup plans last summer, many might have assumed his international career was done.
But rather than being saddened by his high-profile inactivity, the 30-year-old has spent this season reinventing himself in a Chiefs side that showed signs of green shoots after retiring as a super player.
So far Slade’s season has been full of star-studded moments. A penalty that won the game against Gloucester last November, a feat he repeated weeks later when Chiefs stunned three-time European winners Toulon, not to mention inspiring Exeter to alone with their first away win of the year against Newcastle. He was instrumental in the Chiefs’ unlikely title challenge.
As the Premier League’s top scorer, the Chiefs Reliable will have another chance to lay down a marker this weekend when Exeter take on Northampton in the final at Sand Park, where the hosts are aiming for an eighth straight win. . the campaign.
With two weeks until Borthwick names his squad, Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter has been overseeing a new chapter after Jack Nowell, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Sam Simmonds and Dave Ewers moved on to pastures new in the summer last, at present. any illusion that his faithful servant deserves an international memory.
“I’m very hopeful that Henry is in and around and in the mix there,” said Baxter, pushing for his player’s prospects in the Six Nations. “There are some centers who are playing well, but I’m sure he’ll be in the mix, which is why it’s important he keeps playing at the standard he’s been playing at. I can’t see it being far off [from] be there.”
With Manu Tuilagi set to miss the start of the Championship with a groin injury and Joe Marchant ineligible for selection following a move across the channel to Stade Francais, Slade looks a safe pair of hands in midfield.
Since being overlooked by Borthwick last summer, he has shone as a big-game player during an experimental campaign for Baxter’s talented outfit.
Gladiatorial full-back Greg Fisilau, explosive winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and all-rounder Ben Hammerseley – the latter two stalwarts from the ranks of Exeter University – are among the young guns making waves in South Devon.
Feyi-Waboso, the Cardiff-born 21-year-old who is certain to star for England or Wales in the coming weeks, has raised plenty of eyebrows with his impressive performances, but Slade stands out himself and he comes. at a premium after featuring in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups.
Baxter is keen to trust young talent and expose them to the demands of top-class rugby but there is little doubt that Slade, who has been capped 56 times for England, has helped bring out the best in them. .
It’s one thing to have experience, but it’s another to have the name to raise your game when young sparks are flying around you. “His seniority is only important if he also trains and plays with the same energy and drive that the younger players do, because without that it means nothing,” Baxter said.
“That’s what I’m really enjoying with Henry’s performances is that he’s training and playing and talking with a vibe and energy because he’s their age, but the benefit is hundreds of games more experience , and international. experience too, and that’s why it’s valuable.”
Slade’s England future could be affected by Exeter’s new deal
Slade is out of contract at the end of the season but the beneficiary of one of England Rugby’s 25 hybrid contracts – which will be offered by the governing body from next season – is one incentive to stay in South Devon.
“In my mind it’s not important for us, but how important it is for Henry to make a decision,” said Baxter, rather diplomatically. “He will know that in the next few weeks and that will help him decide what he wants to do.
“We want to keep him, we know we want him to stay, so we are in a process of uncertainty at the moment where Henry wants all the information on the table with what happens with England, and then he can sit. go down with an open mind and consider all the options.”
Uncertainty may still be swirling about his future, but Slade has done everything to bring him back from the international wilderness sooner rather than later.
