IRB Rugby World Cup
Henry Slade: I'm ready for England World Cup role
Tristan Barclay
May 28, 2015
Henry Slade in action
Henry Slade in action© David Rogers/Getty Images

After a break-out season with Aviva Premiership surprise package Exeter Chiefs, Henry Slade insists he's ready to fill the Manu Tuilagi-shaped hole in England's midfield for the looming Rugby World Cup.

The versatile Slade has been in breathtaking form in his first full term as a starter at Sandy Park and, after another fall from grace ruled out England's battering ram centre, the race for the No.12 jersey is as wide open as ever ahead of the Pool A curtain raiser against Fiji on September 18.

The 22-year-old is not the only name with designs on that starting berth - the vastly more experienced Luther Burrell and Brad Barritt are certainly in with a shout - but, speaking to ESPN, Slade says he's ready to realise his childhood dream of pulling on the white jersey.

"If the chance comes I'd jump at it," he says. "I wouldn't have any reservations - I'd be over the moon.

"I always set targets for myself when I was younger. I said I wanted to be a rugby player, then play in the Premiership, then one day hopefully to play for England, but I never put timescales on those.

"It's all come quite quickly over the last year or so. I set those goals when I was younger, but I never said 'by the time I'm 22 I want be so and so'. But to be involved [in the World Cup] would be massive and I'd be hugely honoured."

Henry Slade looks on
Henry Slade looks on© Tom Shaw/Getty Images for Premiership Rugby

Such heady heights might have seemed a long way off at the beginning of the season, when Slade was just taking the first steps on the road to becoming a Premiership regular, but a call-up to England's non-cap side to face the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday suggests he's moving ever closer to a full senior debut.

In truth, Slade would be far from an intruder in Lancaster's World Cup squad. He was invited into the camp during this year's Six Nations campaign, joining the growing band of Exeter Chiefs at the heart of the England machine, and he reveals the head coach has tasked him with improving his leadership skills in preparation for an international tilt.

But while he admits there are few secrets in his rise through the ranks - hard work and game-time are themes Slade often returns to while talking to ESPN - the team-player inside him is quick to highlight the role his colleagues have played in boosting him into England contention.

"It has been tough, playing my first full season in terms of starting every week and getting a good amount of game-time. Obviously you have to put in the work yourself, but you're nothing without the team and support around you.

"Exeter having such a good year as a club has helped a lot of the boys individually push our England claims. That's been pleasing because you see boys performing well across the board around you and it spurs you on. You don't want to be the one underperforming.

"I like to think I'm very much a team player, but I'll have to do what I always try to do when I go up to these camps - get my head down and work as hard I can. I don't have a say in selection so I just have to see what happens."

It's a policy that is serving Slade well so far. Several of the game's most senior statesmen have been queuing up to tip him as a World Cup contender, while his efforts on the south Devon coast saw him named Discovery of the Season after a year in which the Chiefs so narrowly missed out on a first Premiership play-off spot.

Although he'd be forgiven for allowing himself the odd moment of indulgence over such fanfare, Slade has a cool head on those young shoulders and he bats away the off-field distractions with the same calmness that he commands proceedings on it.

"It's obviously really nice to hear things like that but you just can't get too carried away with it. That's something we talk about at Exeter - we don't let ourselves get too carried away with wins or losses. We try not to get on those rollercoasters and stay level headed.

"That applies to the plaudits too. That's just a reward for the hard work you put in. You can't let it distract you or take your mind off the goal."

After his name was called in Lancaster's 50-man training squad, few would bet against Henry Slade going all the way by August 31, when the head coach whittles down his side to the final 31 bidding to lift the famous Webb Ellis Cup on home soil this autumn.

© Tristan Barclay

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