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HENRY Slade is set to reject the advances of clubs on the other side of the English Channel and pledge his future to the Exeter Chiefs.
The England centre is out of contract at the end of the current campaign, but says it will not be long before he signs a new long-ter m deal.
“I’m finalising and sorting a few things, nothing has been signed yet,” said Slade. “We’ve had some good chats, so hopefully it’ll be sorted soon. I’m pretty confident I’ll be here next year.
“I love playing for the Chiefs, my parents get to come and watch me every other week, so it’s little things like that which mean a lot to me.”
Part and parcel of the club’s make-up since making his debut in 2012, the 31-year-old has played a pivotal role in the rise of the Chiefs from Premiership newbies to that of double champions eight years later.
He was part of a golden generation that was unearthed through the club’s academy ranks, teaming up with the likes of Luke Cowan-Dickie, Dave Ewers, Sam Hill and Jack Nowell to form the backbone of Exeter’s recent success.
However, three of the aforementioned were among a clutch of big-name departures from Sandy Park last summer. In effect, the group was disbanding, destined for pastures new. Slade, though, has remained and using the hurt of missing out on last year’s World Cup, he has helped provided the driving force for the new-look Chiefs to attack this season.
“It was strange,” he said. “Some of my best mates in life and rugby were heree last season, but they’ve gone onto different places and seem to be enjoying themselves and doing really well. It was tough to see those boys go, but sport moves on quickly.
“We’ve got a new group this year, a much younger group, I feel like one of the elder statesmen, but I think it’s been a really positive year. Any side will miss those characters and their ability on the pitch, but I think we’ve got some really good talent ourselves and for some of the boys who have been waiting in the wings, they’ve had their chance and they’ve taken it with both hands.”
Equally, Slade has taken his own chance in the wake of his surprise axing from Steve Borthwick’s World Cup mix. “When I wasn’t there in the summer, I was pissed off,” said Slade. “It gave me a desire and drive to right some wrongs and prove people wrong, I wanted to get back in the mix.
“I was a bit emotional before the opening game against Italy. When you’re in it, you know how much you love it and how important it is to you, but it’s not clear until it’s gone.
