Slade focused on task ahead
By Mark Stevens
28/4/18
Henry Slade insists he and his Exeter Chiefs must focus on the here and now and not matters further down the line as the Aviva Premiership title race head towards the final straight.
The defending champions will run out at a packed out Sandy Park this afternoon (3pm) knowing victory over Sale Sharks will ensure the club finish the regular season top of the pile.
Already a home semi-final next month has been assured, but England star Slade says the Devonians are desperate to ensure they hit that fixture with real momentum behind them, starting with a success against Steve Diamond’s Sharks.
“There has been a bit of chat this week about being to finish top, but a a group we’re not really getting carried away with that,” said Slade. “I know it’s a cliche, but we take things week by week here and we don’t tend to worry about our position in the table of the points we need.The moment you start to do that, that’s when you take your eye off the ball.
“The focus for us is all about the weekend.We know Sale are a top side, who are pushing for the top six, even the top four, so we’ll have to be at our best on Saturday.It should be an interesting game, after us they are the next best side in terms of bonus points, so it shows they are a dangerous side who like to score points and throw the ball about.As I said, we know we have to be on it.”
With just two rounds of the regular season remaining, next week the Chiefs travel to Harlequins on the final day, the Devonians will be looking to create some real momentum ahead of what is effectively the business end of the season.
“We talk a lot about momentum,” added the 25-year-old playmaker, who will line-up in the centre today alongside the returning Sam Hill. “It’s important to any side, so once you have a bit behind you, it’s important to keep it going and that’s the aim pushing forward towards the play-offs.”
And it was a point that was underlined in Exeter’s last top flight outing where Rob Baxter’s side saw off lowly London Irish 45-5 at the Madejski Stadium. In the past that fixture could easily have been seen as a potential banana skin for the Chiefs, but the way in which they ruthlessly dispatched the Exiles showed the growing maturity that now exists within their ranks.
“People underestimate how much of the game is about mental strength,” continued Slade. “And that’s probably where we have improved the most. We didn’t slacken off mentally at all in that game and that’s probably the biggest steps we’ve made in recent years. We talked about going after the game from the off and just being on it throughout, which is what we did throughout.
“These days you can’t afford to be that two or three per cent off your game because the opposition will punish you. Also, as a player who is in the squad, you know you have to keep delivering in terms of performance because if you have one or two bad weeks, you know there is someone waiting in the wings ready to take your spot.”
Indeed, the success of the Chiefs this season has been down to that competition amongst the squad with the club having already picked up the Anglo-Welsh Cup for a second time, as well as reaching this Monday’s Aviva A League final against Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens.
Slade admits it’s an ‘exciting’ time to be at the Chiefs and is confident further success can follow.
“It’s exciting times for sure,” he continued. “What we felt when we won the Premiership last season was unbelievable - and to be able to do it with all your mates was awesome. For a few of us, we’ve been here together for a while now, but we’ve grown up together over a long period of time and it’s great to be playing week in, week out with your mates.”