EXETER expect to know “very shortly’ whether England centre Henry Slade will be extending his 13-year stay at Sandy Park. The 30-year old has played a key role in helping Exeter overcome the loss of a number of experienced internationals in the summer without a drop-off in performance.
He is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with clubs in France, where former team-mates Joe Simmonds, Jack Nowell, Sam Simmonds and Harry Williams are based.
“Henry’s contract is still being discussed and we will let everyone know about it as soon as everything is figured out,” said Exeter’s director of rugby, Rob Baxter, below. “We are in the final stages and I am expecting a decision very shortly.”
Slade was left out of England’s World Cup squad and with a hybrid contract system set to be in place next season, it was felt he had less to lose by moving abroad. But he has been restored to the side this year and with England operating a new defensive system that is similar to Exeter’s, Baxter believes it has added to Slade’s value.
“England are using a press defence with genuine line speed,” he said. “Sladey is the guy most aligned to making it work because he is used to it with us. He can make it work pretty quickly and that
