Henry Slade: Exeter’s England centre playing at world class level – Rob Baxter

The centrally-contracted England player made one appearance over the autumn for the national team in the win over Argentina, but did not make the side for any of the Six Nations games.

He has won 74 caps for England and played in the 2019 World Cup final, but was overlooked for the squad for the 2023 World Cup in France.

Baxter says Slade, who signed a new contract in February to stay at Sandy Park until the summer of 2028, has been helped by the improved form of his side this term.

“When a player’s playing well or when a team are playing well – or when a player’s playing badly or a team are playing badly – it’s never down to one thing,” he added.

“It’s always a combination of things and what I would say with the individual players within the side and then the team, they’re driven for their individual success and they’re driven for the individual competitors that they are.

“But they’re also driven by wanting success for the team and wanting to fight for the team, wanting to fight for their mates and the players they’re playing with because they respect each other and they have a desire to do well for each other.

“It’s never just down to one part of the story, it’s always the whole thing. Right here and now, Henry’s probably getting the whole picture correct.”