Slade recharged as camp begins

Editor

Promising youngster Henry Slade admits he cannot wait to hit the ground running at England's preparation camp for the fast approaching World Cup.

The 50-man squad arrived at their training base in Surrey on Monday, with the battle for the final 31 spots now reaching a key point ahead of kick-off.

Slade is expected to be one player set to give England head coach Stuart Lancaster a serious selection headache over the next five weeks, as his ability to cover more than one position strengthens his case when they go through their sessions before their opening friendly fixture against USA.

"I am really excited about it," he told Exeter Chiefs' website.

"We have had quite a bit of time off over the summer and a chance to recharge ourselves and reset, and it is an exciting challenge ahead of us over the next few months and I can't get wait to get stuck into it. 

"With the carrot of the World Cup being at the end of this training camp, that is going to be a massive motivating factor for a lot of boys. There are a lot of players competing for various positions, and it is going to be interesting to see what the final product is."