by After two appearances alongside Fraser Dingwall to start this Six Nations campaign, Henry Slade has now started for England alongside 12 different centres.
That is just one short of Michael Atherton’s tally of opening partners over an England Test cricket career spanning 14 years and 115 matches. Stubborn and stoic, the Lancashire right-hander was known for constant turbulence.
Slade, still just 30, will reach 60 caps this weekend; just over half of Atherton’s cricketing haul. That Slade has teamed up with so many colleagues in midfield since he first started in 2015 – from Sam Burgess to Ben Te’o through Piers Francis and Dan Kelly – underlines the relentlessness in those positions.
Dingwall is an excellent player, but Ollie Lawrence brings back poise and balance in the back line. It will be the latter’s eighth start in association with Slade, who has never seemed to be indispensable to England’s coaches. This weekend, however, he is all the more important, mainly because of his crucial role in Finn Russell’s decisive attempt to dominate.
In the nasty irony, Slade would not be as qualified to lead a blitz defense without the bitter disappointment of losing the World Cup last year. When Steve Borthwick forgot him, choosing Joe Marchant instead, he returned to Exeter Chiefs. Omar Mouneimne was implementing a new approach in the pre-season there. Mouneimne is a former colleague of Jacques Nienaber, like recently appointed England defense coach Felix Jones, and he wanted Exeter to be so aggressive that the incoming opponents would have to compromise their preparation.
“I coached with Jacques Nienaber at the Stormers in 2007, where he was a medium press and tackler,” he explains fondly. “Times have changed because attack has changed. It is a golden age for the attack. Attacks have never been so organized – ball in two hands, running at pace, shape on the line, running outs, elaborate tap moves in the opposition 22. If you let teams get into a rhythm, they can get a quick ball get and keep it alive and terrorize you.
“We are increasing our line speed [at Exeter] for a while and there are many of them around who want [opponents] to rejig their week because we do so much homework on their attack. Every attack has a rhythm and something they dream about, whether they aim at things or play with width and speed. Whatever they want most, we want to take it away. And it’s not just the pace and the time you’re giving, you’re cutting choice after choice within a stage and rethinking them all the time.”
The main aim of blitzing is to scramble the senses. And, to state the obvious, you need to do a lot of running. Slade, a lithe athlete who zips up in the 13 channels, snagged three interceptions this season. One of them was a stunning win over Munster in the Champions Cup at Sand Park. These high-speed shuttles can also lead to tackles behind the gain line, with Slade pulling back on Nick Tompkins in the dying minutes of England’s win over Wales. Even if carriers wave back towards heavy traffic around the wrecks, the stick is well worth it.
“You have to be extremely fit,” says Mouneimne. “Your pace and work rate of the ball has to be exceptional because you have to be at the forefront of the attack. If you don’t reload and re-form before the attack, you can’t shut them down. We worked hard on that and all the practical aspects of take off, retreat, take off, retreat.
“Henry is the perfect man for the job because he is very alert, so he knows what the opposition will bring. He knows our shape perfectly and is physically perfect for him. You want to work hard for several steps to get the ball back faster. You blitz, read the play and push through.
“He’s gotten those interceptions because of his leadership. Tactically, he does his homework and knows what’s coming. Technically, it’s so sound in the way it transfers.”
England must also stay connected. If individuals shoot up on their own, Russell will pick holes. He did so in 2018, when Jonathan Joseph pushed up in front of Jonny May, and in 2023 when Owen Farrell went after him. Huw Jones was the beneficiary on both occasions, carving through the defensive line and into open space. The visitors will also have to readjust at times, as Russell is sure to tease them with his armor of chips and kicks.
Both Richard Wigglesworth and Kevin Sinfield have praised Slade as a problem solver who helped his teammates by continuing to blitz him, perhaps talking through situations where he felt unnatural. Felix Jones’ strategy will be underpinned by his expertise and intelligence.
“It will be very popular because Scotland is a good team with good cohesion, alignment and culture,” continues Mounienme. “Gregor has done a good job with them and they have a lot of X-factor players.
“Obviously we played Bath and gave Finn a preview – we’re going to play them again in the Champions Cup. It will be exciting to see how England try to cut his game plan in half and cut off his options, as he is a dreamer. He can kick pass, play out the goal, hit the forward line and offload. It will keep England busy, and it will be a great battle.”
Although this week’s story is based on how Scotland could be mocked, England will also have to spend time in possession. Expect Slade and Lawrence to interchange in attack, and make their side much sharper from first stage situations.
Early on against Wales, from a five-metre scrum, Alex Mitchell advanced to the line with three equal options – Elliot Daly, Dingwall and Slade. Due to a lack of deception, the defense was only able to take a firm hold. Slade spilled the pass, but it would have been clobbered by George North anyway. It is not a battering ram:
A different set-up has Slade stepping up to distribute from the first receiver, with Dingwall cutting a close angle and George Ford drifting in behind on the wing:
Here, in Rome, Tommy Freeman is finally released:
A week later, the same move resulted in Mason Grady’s yellow card for a deliberate tackle:
However, it will be stronger with a more explosive threat, Lawrence’s front door. Even the most complex attacks need momentum. Both Tommaso Menoncello and George North have put England on the back foot with straightforward, uncomplicated runs.
Slade can give Lawrence space to trouble Scotland. To that end, he will be one of Steve Borthwick’s most influential men on both sides of the ball this weekend.
