Solving The Henry Slade Conundrum
Henry Slade’s meteoric rise has been well-documented over the past couple of years. His role in Exeter Chiefs own journey to the upper echelons of English Rugby meant that, following England’s extremely below-par performance in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Slade was seen by many as the man to take the nations rugby team forward (before a broken leg against Wasps decimated his 2015/6 season).
However, the Henry Slade conundrum has been consistently hanging over him since he broke onto the first team scene in 2013 – in which position is he best?
The 23-year-old Devonian is a superb footballer. His distribution is excellent, he’s deceptively strong and has incredible awareness and vision, meaning he never looks hurried on the pitch.
Versatility is a blessing and a curse
Slade’s versatility allows him to play at fly half, centre and even full back at a high standard, which should be praised and commended, but it also presents a dilemma that splits opinion. For the Chiefs, Slade is part of an extremely talented and versatile back line consisting of the likes of Gareth Steenson, Sam Hill, Michele Campagnaro, Ian Whitten and Jack Nowell. Where he best fits into this group is up for discussion.
Since breaking into the Exeter first team, Slade has mainly played with 13 on his back, with Steenson at fly-half and either Whitten or Hill in the 12 shirt. For many observers, this was seen as a stopgap solution, before Slade took over from Steenson as first choice fly half – the position he has always coveted.
What’s changed this season?
This season, following the decision from Ollie Devoto to make the trip down the M5, that moment finally came.
Steenson – who has been so impressive for the Chiefs in recent seasons – made way for both the visit to Wasps and the home match against Saracens, arguably the two strongest teams in the league this season. Slade was given the chance to show what he could offer at ten, with Hill and Devoto outside him.
Whilst Exeter’s inaccuracy was the main cause of their downfall in both of these games, the lack of control they showed throughout the games was a major issue – something that has not previously been an issue with Steenson at fly half. Slade struggled to have an impact in these games, unable to assert his natural game.
A change was bound to come following these defeats, with Rob Baxter deciding to shift Slade outside to 12 and bring Steenson back into the side. The effect was plain to see against both Harlequins and Bristol, as Exeter controlled the game from start to finish, with Slade showing some of the form and vision that announced him on the stage as one of English rugby’s hottest prospects.
In both of these games, Slade could regularly be found in a pocket of space a few metres behind Steenson. The Chiefs’ tactic of having two or three forwards running off the ten channel allowed Steenson to simply pop the ball back to Slade, giving him the time and space to create opportunities out wide.
A prime example of this could be found in the build up to Woodburn’s opening try against Bristol. Hanging back behind two dummy runners, Slade was able to shift the ball quickly out wide, allowing Exeter to break into the 22. In the second phase, Slade then stood in at first receiver, displaying his immense offloading skills to set Woodburn up for a simple try in the corner.
Luke Cowan-Dickie’s hat trick try against Quins was also created by some Slade magic. Having seen his side win turnover ball from a line out, Slade – standing in the 13 channel – showed exceptionally quick hands to send Lachie Turner away down the wing. In the next phase, Slade was involved again. Receiving the ball slightly deeper off Steenson, Slade threw a delightful missed pass to Ben Moon on the wing who broke into the Quins 22. A few phases later and Cowan-Dickie was dotting down over the whitewash.
What about the future?
The debate as to where Slade plays in the future – for both club and country – will surely rage on. For now, it appears centre is the position in which you can get the most out of the talented youngster, in a second receiver role in the midfield, with an orchestrating ten such as Steenson controlling the game inside him.
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