Slade goes straight into action for Exeter
HENRY Slade insists England can take pride from their overall World Cup campaign in Japan despite the crushing nature of last week’s final defeat to South Africa.
Slade, who is thrust straight back into Premiership action for Exeter against Bristol today, believes England banished the ghosts of their home failure in 2015.
“It was very disappointing just to miss out in the final but overall it was a very positive experience,” Slade said.
“Japan is culturally very different but we got to see a fair bit of it and had some great experiences, while obviously working very hard as well.
“Rugby-wise we played some really good stuff but once we got to the final it didn’t quite click.
“I don’t know why that was, we prepared for that game the same as every other game. But that’s sport, sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it just doesn’t.
“It was one of those days, but even though we did lose that final and were disappointed in the changing room, when we stopped and looked back at how far we’ve come over the last three or four years, we can be proud of a lot of what we’ve achieved.
“When Eddie Jones took over, we were something like seventh or eighth in the world coming off the back of getting dumped out of our own World Cup.
“It was a dark time for English rugby but the strides this team has made since then have been massive.”
Despite only stepping off a plane last Monday, Slade is revved-up and ready to go against a Bristol side scenting blood after twice pushing Chiefs close last season.
He said: “It’s nice to be home and this place hasn’t changed. I’ve actually missed the boys so I’m excited to be getting stuck back into some rugby now.
“We’ve got a lot to play for and this is a massive game. Bristol have been going really well and getting a lot of plaudits – rightly so – but the boys are excited to be back at Sandy Park after a couple of away games and we’ve got Stuart Hogg in our side now.
“Obviously he’s a topclass player and we managed to have a couple of good sessions together during the week, so it will be exciting to see how he goes.”
Slade’s last Premiership game was the final defeat to Saracens in June. He added: “That’s a massive driver for us. We’ve lost two finals over the last couple of years and games like that stick with you. We have points to prove and want to put that right.”