The
England player talks about training through lockdown, Exeter’s title push, playing with diabetes and overcoming OCD
“I’m ready to crack on,” Henry Slade says as he looks forward to escaping English rugby’s extended lockdown when the season resumes in mid-August. “I’m pretty fed up with all this corona stuff. We’ve been training in groups of five or 10 but there’s been lots of socially distant running and weights – which is better than nothing. But it’s still pretty crap. If I get started on
Coronavirus we’ll be talking for ages.”
Eight months ago Slade came on in a
World Cup final, as England lost against
South Africa, and his season since then has been blighted by injury and a global pandemic. His club Exeter Chiefs, however, are five points clear at the top of the Premiership and ready for a serious tilt at the European Champions Cup when rugby restarts behind closed doors.