Slade calm ahead of Sarries clash

With the calm authority that has underpinned an excellent season for Exeter Chiefs, Henry Slade is choosing his words carefully.

“I wouldn’t say it has been feisty in training,” he ponders. “But there’s been a competitive edge. It’s been physical. I think that’s a good sign. The boys are ready.”

A bit of extra tetchiness about midweek sessions should certainly encourage Chiefs supporters. Especially up front, Rob Baxter’s men will need all the spite and strength they can muster on Sunday at Allianz Park.

Lose to Saracens and their Premiership hopes are over – or at least on life support relying on unlikely results elsewhere.

They boast the second best points difference in the division and have spent the vast majority of the campaign close to the summit. Missing out on the play-offs would surely feel gut-wrenching.

Staying true to a fast-paced, ambitious approach, Exeter have benefitted from added power. Back-rowers Dave Ewers and Thomas Waldrom, big men with bigger appetites for industry and collisions, are in outstanding form. Tighthead Tomas Francis is obliterating scrums across the land.

Inside them, an immensely talented 22 year-old has set tongues wagging. Spending most of Exeter’s 20 matches at fly half – although reverting back to outside centre for Sunday as Gareth Steenson returns – Slade oozes class. His distribution is neat, his footwork lively and his left foot accurate. A nomination for the LV=Young Player of the Year by his peers was hardly surprising. But perhaps more impressive is an aura of command.

Generally softly-spoken, Slade knows when to adopt an abrupt, forthright tone. Reflecting on a disappointing 36-29 reverse to Wasps a fortnight ago – in which a dazzling solo try from Joe Simpson dragged Chiefs down to fifth – he refuses to mask some regret.

“We were just a bit soft, especially in that first half. If you give their runners that much space and time, they can hurt you. That’s exactly what happened.

“Rob [Baxter] is good at understanding how people are feeling and not going too hard on them. At times though, you need to be stern with people. He’s good at getting the balance right.

“It is all to play for still. We’re three points off Sarries, so if we beat them, we go above them and into a pretty nerve-wracking final weekend.

“We’ve beaten them already this year. It’s not going to be easy at Allianz Park, but the boys are all looking forward to it.”

Involvement with the England training squad throughout the course of the RBS 6 Nations has brought Slade close to a few of this weekend’s opponents. As a duo, he and full back Alex Goode were unbeaten at football video game FIFA over the course of the Championship. The Vunipola brothers, Mako and injured Billy, are two more that are name-checked.

The aforementioned 27-19 success against Saracens at Sandy Park has been complemented by twin defeats of Northampton Saints. Triumph in this next tie would complete the full set of victories over last season’s finalists.

Slade does not deny that the play-offs are a significant goal. Even so, with a European Champions Cup place for 2015/6 all but guaranteed, he highlights how much his side has come on.

“Last summer we took stock and realised that we’d done well in previous years against teams who were around us in mid-table and lower, but against top four we’d really struggled to get results.

“This season, we’ve beaten Bath at home and done the double over Saints. That shows how far we’ve progressed as a club.

“Saracens are a top side. Their defence is excellent and they play a pressure game really well – that was something we did quite well against them at our place earlier in the season. We’re going to have to manage territory well again on Sunday.

“From there, hopefully set-piece can get us a foot-hold and we can convert our chances. If you can’t get over the gain-line against Saracens, you lose a lot of momentum. They bring their press-defence on you and make it your life very hard.”

Club player of the year Ewers and the pack will evidently be pivotal to the outcome, and Slade cites his “ridiculous” Zimbabwean-born teammate as a potential England prospect for the upcoming Rugby World Cup. Premiership top try-scorer Waldrom gets a mention too, as do fellow Academy graduates Sam Hill and Luke Cowan-Dickie.

Only then – and only briefly – does Slade come to his own pursuit of a Test cap. It is looking promising, certainly.

An integral role and 13 points in the Saxons’ 18-9 win over Ireland Wolfhounds impressed Jon Callard hugely. Stuart Lancaster hailed the precocious Chief’s ability in March, suggesting his versatility would be difficult to overlook.

Andy Farrell was next to offer some praise, recently putting Slade alongside Saracens starlet Maro Itoje in terms of youngsters who look comfortable among the senior ranks.

For the man himself, understated modesty is the preferred response for now. That said, you do not need to be a detective to sense underlying determination.

“It’s nice to hear that sort of stuff, but the better I can do for Exeter, the more likely I am to be looked at. The pressure games at the end of the season are as close as you are going to get to internationals.

“Like I say, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few more boys get looked at if we finish in the top four. We must have been doing something right.”

Exeter will need to get a great deal right to conquer Allianz Park. Saracens are stinging from their Champions Cup exit and an outmuscling against Saints in Milton Keynes. If Baxter’s side do prevail though, you sense Slade will be a decisive influence.