Game time is invaluable for Slade

Henry Slade said the time he’s getting on the pitch with Exeter Chiefs at the moment is invaluable as he looks to improve his game.

The 20-year-old started at fly-half as the Chiefs beat London Irish 18-0 last weekend, a week after he played the full 80 minutes in the centre away to Saracens.

And Slade said that experience is key for someone playing in a decision-making position.

“I started the season where I left off last season, on the bench,” said Slade. “As the season’s gone on I’ve had more and more game time, and I’ve played at 12 as well which I’ve enjoyed, it’s a bit of a change.

“In the last few weeks I’ve had quite a lot of game time. The main thing as a fly-half or any decision-making player is having game time, that experience is the most valuable thing.”

Slade has made 20 appearances, with eight starts, in all competitions for Exeter this season.

And he has also made his England Saxons debut, having progressed from the under-20 set up last term.

Slade should now be involved in this weekend’s LV= Cup semi-final at Bath, with the Chiefs looking for their first win against their hosts this season at the fourth attempt.

In fact, Exeter have only beaten the men from The Rec once in a competitive match.

However, Slade hopes their recent run of matches against the top sides in the Aviva Premiership should stand them in good stead against Mike Ford’s men.

“It’s the general experience of being in tight games and how to manage certain situations,” Slade said about what his side had learned from recent weeks.

“A lot of times we’ve got into good areas of the field but either given away a penalty or made a mistake and found ourselves back down at our end. In the pressure moments in the tight games we’ve really got to focus on what we’re doing and cut out those mistakes.”

Exeter have been used to pressure matches in the last few weeks as they face the top three sides in the Premiership on successive weekends.

Slade thinks the Chiefs players respond well in the big games, and hopes they do again at The Rec on Sunday lunchtime.

“I think the boys thrive on pressure, we seem to perform better when the pressure’s on,” he said. “I don’t know what the reason for that is, but everyone seems to focus harder.

“A lot was said last week that the London Irish game was a must-win if we want to be pushing for the top six and we responded well with a good performance. Hopefully we can do the same again at the weekend.”

Going into last weekend’s match, Exeter had lost five league games in succession, three of them by just one score.

Slade felt the players coped well during that run, without getting too carried away with things going against them.

And he was pleased they could end that run in front of their own supporters at Sandy Park.

“We’ve kept our heads pretty well, but it’s always going to be frustrating,” he said of their losing run.

“We lost at Wasps to a last-minute drop goal, at home we lost by a point to a last-minute try against Northampton and the Bath game was close.

“Against Saracens we played well in the first half but had a sticky patch in the middle part of the second half and they capitalised on that. To come back and get a good performance at home and get the win is pretty awesome.”