Henry Slade playing like ‘one of the top centres in the world’ as Exeter boss hails England back’s long-term consistency
Henry Slade (left) is bang in form for Exeter Chiefs, and has drawn high praise from Rob Baxter (right) among others
Sunday, 11 November 2012. Kassam Stadium. A young academy graduate is handed his Exeter Chiefs debut at fly-half in an LV Cup match against London Welsh.
The sprightly, fresh-faced 19-year-old, who was dual-registered with Plymouth Albion at the time, made a decent fist of it on debut, slotting five kicks off the tee in a resounding 42-15 win. A year on, he would make his top-flight debut for the Chiefs against London Irish, coming off the bench to replace club legend Gareth Steenson, in another away trip.
Little did those who had made the trips to Oxford and Reading, respectively, know they would be watching a kid who would go onto become arguably the greatest player to come out of the Chiefs academy.
That boy, that sprightly, fresh-faced 19-year-old, was Henry Slade.
‘That’s probably the level he’s playing at now’
His early appearances at fly-half did catch the eye, granted, but it wasn’t until a move to outside centre that Slade turned from promising hotshot to fully-fledged club regular.
Just three years on from his senior bow in the black jersey, or pink as it was that day in Oxford, Slade would don the famous white of England for the first time, starting alongside Sam Burgess in a new-look midfield in a World Cup warm-up.
Soon enough, he was also an England regular.
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Honours quickly followed, with Slade at the core of arguably the greatest England team of the modern era and undoubtedly the greatest Exeter Chiefs side in the club’s relatively humble history, taking a starring role in two Six Nations triumphs, two domestic titles and one European victory.
He has had his fair share of hardship in there at Test level, too, with him being a notable absentee for the 2023 World Cup squad among other recent setbacks in a white jersey, but one thing is for certain: Slade continues to do the business for Exeter.
The classy centre is enjoying one of, if not the best, PREM seasons of his career to date in 2025/26. He ended the campaign as the league’s top try-scorer, and most recently was named Man of the Match as Exeter thumped Saracens to book a first top-four finish in five years.
“He’s played in an awful lot of games and an awful lot of big games,” says Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter. “From memory, he was very good at the end of our double-winning season, but what I would say is he’s playing at that level pretty consistently now at the end of this season.
“Back then (in 2020), he probably would have been considered one of the top centres in the world, and that’s probably the level he’s playing at now. That’s the bigger indicator of how he’s playing now.
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“It’s never just one thing. When a player is playing well, a team is playing well or when a player is playing badly or a team is playing badly, it’s never down to one thing; it’s always a combination of things.
“What I would say with individual players, they’re driven by their individual success and the individual competitors they are; but they’re also driven by wanting success for the team, wanting to fight for the team and their mates.
“It’s a combination of all of those things; it’s never just down to one part of the story, it’s always the whole thing. Right here and now, he’s probably getting the whole picture correct.”
“He’s travelling alright at the moment, isn’t he?” adds Chiefs attack coach Dave Walder.
“He was defensively outstanding last week (against Leicester Tigers), today (against Saracens) on the ball and with his goal kicking, he just adds a bit of calmness. He’s playing very well, and he’s in a good space.”
‘If I was picking an England team, I’d have Henry Slade in there’
However, despite his strong season with Exeter, Slade is still somewhat in the wildnerness at Test level. He is still very much a regular member of the extended senior squad, but has featured in just nine of England’s past 21 Tests and only one of those has come this season. He did not register a single appearance in the Six Nations, either.
That continued absence from the England starting XV has certainly raised some eyebrows for those with a Devonian accent, but he does have his vocal backers.
“If I was picking an England team, I’d have Henry Slade in there,” Walder continues. “But I see him every day.
“Sladey is doing what every player who’s not picked would expect: he’s playing well week-in-week out on both sides of the ball.
“I’m sure he’s in their thoughts.”
In their thoughts, he is. Slade again featured in the recent 42-man alignment camp last month, and is expected to be right in the mix come the summer tour as well.
But, for now, his focus is on the Chiefs. His focus is on getting Exeter back to the final.
If he gets them there, with everything that has gone on in recent seasons, he will likely go down as Exeter’s greatest-ever player.
