- Henry Slade will be sidelined at the beginning of the Premiership season
- The Exeter and England standout had shoulder surgery this summer
Henry Slade is expected to be unavailable at the onset of the new season for Exeter and is also unlikely to recover in time for England’s autumn internationals due to recent shoulder surgery.
The veteran centre had a successful 2023-24 season with both his club and the national team, despite being a surprising omission from last year’s World Cup squad.
In response to his exclusion, Slade bounced back by being named the Premiership player of the year and reaffirming his position as a crucial player at the international level.
His projected absence of three to four months at the start of the 2024-25 season poses a significant setback for both Exeter and England.
“Henry sustained a shoulder injury while competing for England in the Guinness Six Nations earlier this year. The joint was stable, allowing him to continue playing throughout the rest of the competition and finish the 2023-24 season with us,” explained Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter.
Henry Slade will miss the start of the season with Exeter after undergoing shoulder surgery
The experienced centre will also likely miss out on England’s autumn internationals
“We were aware of a minor issue, as was England, and it has somewhat deteriorated during the summer tour. After re-scanning the shoulder and consulting with Henry regarding its condition, we decided it was best to proceed with the operation now,” Baxter stated.
“We hope he can utilize this time for a strong rehab phase before returning to rugby. The operation is relatively complex, making it challenging to discuss his return timeline at this point. It is expected to be in the range of three to four months, which unfortunately means he will miss a significant part of the season’s start.”
“Experience has shown that Henry is excellent at rehabilitation. He will come back very fit, as he has been in outstanding form for both club and country.”
“While this situation is unfortunate, we are confident he will put in the hard work. I anticipate he will still have a major impact next season for both our team and for England.”
Slade participated in all three of England’s summer tour matches, which included a victory over Japan in Tokyo and two closely contested Tests against New Zealand, both of which resulted in narrow losses.
He had established a promising partnership in the midfield with Bath’s Ollie Lawrence; however, national head coach Steve Borthwick will now need to explore alternative options for the No 13 position.
England will face New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Japan in November. Northampton’s Tommy Freeman, who has been utilized as a winger by Borthwick, could be one potential replacement.
Slade has re-established himself as a key player for England (pictured) after shining at Exeter
Steve Borthwick’s side face New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan in November
Borthwick will also need to monitor the fitness of Harlequins prop Joe Marler, who sustained a foot injury during the first Test defeat to New Zealand in Dunedin.
In the meantime, the RFU has announced a second match for the England A team this season. They will compete against Ireland A at Bristol’s Ashton Gate on Sunday, February 23. This match confirmation follows the announcement of England A’s fixture against Australia A during the forthcoming autumn international window on November 17 at Twickenham Stoop.
The England A team was reintroduced earlier this year in February, where they secured a dominant 91-5 victory against Portugal.
RFU executive director of performance Conor O’Shea stated: “Our objective is to ensure consistent game time for our emerging players during each international period.”
