Henry Slade

Henry Slade is an established figure on both the domestic and international stage. Primarily a full-back, his versatility on the pitch can also see him comfortably slot in as a centre and a fly-half, which is testament to the quality he possesses as a player.

Born on 19 March 1993 in Plymouth, he was a part of the Exeter Chiefs academy as a youth and displayed enough talent to represent England at U18 level and then at U20 in 2010. He was also a part of the side that won the Junior World Championship title against Wales in 2012

In his first professional season in 2011 he was dual-registered with both the Chiefs and Plymouth Albion, with the former being the club he would go on to represent when making his Premiership debut in November 2012 against London Welsh. Since this he has gone on to become a first time regular for the Chiefs, making over 150 appearances and winning many honours including the 2015 Young Player of the Year, the former LV=Cup and the Aviva Premiership.

On an international level, Henry Slade’s England debut came in 2014 in an uncapped game against the Barbarians where he kicked an impressive 15 points. His first official cap came in the same year as his Young Player award, where he played at Twickenham against France in a World Cup warm up game, before earning a call up into then coach Stuart Lancaster’s 31-man squad for the 2015 tournament.

His career did stutter a few months later in the 2015/16 season when he suffered a badly broken leg in a Premiership game away to Wasps. However, he did recover in time to return before the season ended, helping Exeter Chiefs get to their first Premiership final.

Henry Slade’s determination and quality has been reflected in the continued success he has seen for both club and country. He now has over 35 caps for the national side, featuring in consecutive Six Nations tournaments and more recently the Autumn Nations Cup.