I t is early afternoon in Exeter and Henry Slade is reflecting on his day so far. As a type 1 diabetic he has already injected himself “four or five times”. a training schedule change has left him playing catchup with his insulin levels. “I had a bit of a stinker today. I had to bang some carbohydrate down me before training but didn’t quite get it right. I was a bit on the low side and didn’t feel very good. I guess it was my fault for not reading the schedule properly.”
Later there will be further injections. more monitoring, none of it stress free for someone who wrestles with obsessive compulsive disorder. Plus. there are the demands of having three daughters under six back at home; the youngest, Delphine, is not yet three months old. After an intensely physical match even changing a nappy can be challenging. “With the last two I’ve spent hours on the floor changing nappies. It’s a nightmare getting up again. We’ve now got nappy-changing tables which are an absolute gamechanger.”
Combine everything. it is a minor miracle that the 33-year-old centre is playing some of the best rugby of his career. These would be demanding times for him. his wife, Megan, even without the looming pressure of a Prem semi-final against Bath at the Rec. Ask Slade if he thinks the general public appreciate the unseen demands of managing irreversible type 1 diabetes – 400,000 people have the autoimmune condition in the UK compared with around 4 million with type 2 –. the answer is instantaneous. “They definitely don’t. With diabetes there is a lot of extra stuff to worry about. It plays on your mind a lot, subconsciously and consciously.
“There are so many more variables every day, let alone on matchdays. It is tricky but the longer I’ve had it the more understanding I’ve developed. There’s always new research. ideas about how to manage things … I wouldn’t say it’s becoming easier but maybe I’m getting better at it.”
It certainly looked that way during Exeter’s 32-12 victory over Saracens at Sandy Park last Saturday. Replay the footage of Slade’s second-half try. there is almost a boyish relish about the way he helps to convert turnover ball inside his own half into an exhilarating score. This is no weary veteran plodding through the motions. a rejuvenated athlete – “I’m enjoying the rugby I’m playing at the minute” – still full of running.
Along with five successful goal-kicks on a blustery afternoon there was also a sensational corner-flagging tackle on Rotimi Segun. topped the lot. Segun is quick, elusive and had a head start. Not too many players in the world would have sprinted 40 metres back, successfully lassooed their man’s ankles. jolted the ball free to prevent an apparently certain try.
Strangely, though, people have occasionally seemed to underestimate Slade’s broad palette of skills during his career. They include one or two England coaches; he was omitted from the last World Cup squad. has not featured in his country’s last five Tests since forming a productive midfield alliance with Max Ojomoh against Argentina in November. The centre has spent enough time in England environments to know when to employ a diplomatic straight bat. his top-level competitive flame still burns. “There’s always a desire to play for England and there always will be,’ he says, quietly.
Admittedly the equation has been complicated by England’s desire to convert Tommy Freeman into a long-term Test outside centre. with Bristol’s Benhard Janse van Rensburg also now in the frame. But neither has Slade’s left-footed kicking prowess, his silky distribution at full tilt nor his experience. As Dave Walder. the Chiefs’ attack coach, succinctly puts it: “If I was picking an England team, I’d have Henry Slade in there.”
The naysayers argue that Slade has not always dominated games during his 74 Tests. conveniently overlooking that England’s tactics have seldom chimed with his strengths. At times he has resembled a classical violinist playing in a heavy metal band but. equally, he does not give up easily. “You can’t control selection, all you can control is what you’re doing. That’s all you can do, I guess. Put my hand up as much as I can and hopefully that’ll be enough to get a recall.”
It does no harm that Exeter have been purring again, with Len Ikitau as a straight-running midfield foil inside him. No side has ever won the title having finished third in the regular season but. assuming they still have enough left physically, Slade believes the Chiefs could yet overturn the odds. “We’re playing some good stuff. The boys are playing well and that’s given me opportunities to get the ball in good positions. Dave’s also given us some really good clarity around what we’re doing with our attack. He’s got some good ideas and it feels like our attack is improving.”
Fitness-wise, too, Slade has invested much time and effort in ensuring he stays in peak condition. “I do a lot of hot and cold contrasts … saunas, ice baths, stretching, mobility. It does help. I’m 33 but I feel quicker, stronger and fitter than I’ve ever felt. I guess that’s credit to the boys in the strength. conditioning department but I’ve also been big into my recovery over the past few years. It must be helping because I do feel good.”
Another interesting fact about Slade, incidentally, is that one of his younger brothers, Seb, is an actor who performed in Hamlet at the National Theatre last autumn. has only recently returned from touring the production in New York for two months. There is nil chance of his elder sibling treading the boards – “I’d be shite” – but. as his multiple match-winning contributions this year have underlined, Slade is comfortable enough in the spotlight.
And maybe the ability to rise to the big occasion is the area in which he. Exeter can unsettle a home side missing Finn Russell. “We do feel we can mix it in the big games,” says Slade. “We know it’s going to be incredibly tough but we’ve beaten some really good teams this year. We’ve got to go up there confident and back ourselves. I can’t remember the last time I was so excited for a game of rugby as I was last week. And things are now getting more exciting. aren’t they?” This season’s leading Prem points scorer may yet have another central role to play.
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