Slade on 'special' Twickenham experiences
Twickenham has almost become a second home for Henry Slade over the past decade and the Chiefs star admits not much can compare to when the whole of Exeter marches to South West London.
By Paul Eddison
One of the last men standing from the outstanding Exeter sides that conquered England and Europe, Slade featured in a remarkable six successive Gallagher Premiership Rugby finals for the Devon side.
The vast majority of those were played in the blazing sunshine at Twickenham, including a memorable first-ever title for Chiefs in 2016/17.
And for Slade, those glorious days when it seemed every last person in the city would pack up their bags and support the Chiefs, were particularly special.
He recalled: “It’s a fantastic day, finals are very nerve-wracking but very exciting.
“When Twickenham is sold out or near to, with all those people cheering for you as a club team, it’s special. It feels like the whole of Exeter pulls out of Exeter when we get to the final, we get so many people supporting us. It’s awesome.
“We play there for England and you have everyone supporting you, but it’s something slightly different when you are there with some of your best mates who you have been playing with for years and years. The whole of Exeter comes up to Twickenham.”
The Chiefs story was a fairytale, reaching the Twickenham showpiece six years straight, including victories over Wasps in 2017 and 2020 – the latter coming in unusual circumstances, much later in the year and with no crowds because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Unsurprisingly, the first trip to HQ was an eye-opener for Slade and his teammates, and a valuable learning experience.
He said: “Our first Premiership final was in 2016. We lost to Sarries.
“Some boys had never played there, and some hadn’t even been there, so it was a bit of a strange one for them.
“It felt like in the first half, we were there for Sarries’ party. In the second half we came back to nearly do it but then they just pulled away.
“The year after, we told ourselves, we want to go and win this thing and we ended up doing it.
“It’s normally at the tail end of the season, apart from the Covid one, so it’s normally very hot, 30 degrees. Everyone is in good spirits. For the finals, the crowd are really excited, everyone is on the edge of their seat.
“That first time we won was absolute elation, in extra-time as well, mentally you are fatigued and drained. To finally win was an unbelievable feeling and to win for the first time was very special.”
As well as his Chiefs success, Slade has featured regularly for England at Twickenham, most recently as part of the side that stunned Grand Slam-chasing Ireland with Marcus Smith’s late drop goal.
That atmosphere was among the best he has experienced in an England jersey, along with the dramatic comeback for a draw against the All Blacks in 2022.
It is all a far cry from Slade’s first visit to the ground back in 2005, travelling up to watch his local club, Plymouth Albion, take on Bedford Blues in the Powergen Shield.
Having swapped Plymouth for Exeter, Slade is now one of the senior faces in a new-look Chiefs side that has been confounding expectations all season long.
Currently right in the mix in the race for The Play-Offs, the lure of a return to Twickenham is one that Slade is finding hard to ignore.
He added: “It would be huge (if Exeter could get back).
“We’re not getting carried away, we don’t expect to be there but from where we were in pre-season and how people were looking at us moving forward to this season, I think we’ve surprised a few people.
“We’ve potentially surprised ourselves too. I think you get out what you put in, though, and this group has worked really hard throughout the season.
“We’ve put ourselves in a good position. We’ve got to knuckle down and do our talking on the pitch. It’s a new experience for a lot of the boys so we’re trying to help the younger boys out where we can.
“But I’ve been very impressed with how they have taken everything in their stride so far so hopefully that can keep going.”
