Struggling Exeter Chiefs start Henry Slade after England release
England outside centre Henry Slade will make his first appearance of the season as Exeter Chiefs look to end their worst start to a Premiership season when Harlequins visit Sandy Park on Sunday afternoon.
Slade has been given special permission from England coach Steve Borthwick to play in the game after missing the start of the new season after having a shoulder operation after the summer tour of Japan and New Zealand.
After being released from their camp in Spain, he will have the chance to prove his fitness ahead of England’s opening clash of their Autumn Nations Series campaign against the All Blacks at Twickenham on Saturday week.
Slade will partner Will Rigg in the midfield, with Olly Woodburn, who had been standing in for him, moving back out to the wing with Paul Brown-Bampoe and Josh Hodge rounding out the back three.
The Chiefs, who have lost their opening five games, including a reverse against Newcastle Falcons, who ended a 25-game winless run last time and a sixth loss, will set a new club record for their longest losing run in the top-flight.
“No single player is a cure-all to everything, and you don’t suddenly put one player in and win every game, but I think without doubt when you see how we lost a couple of games this season.
“I’m particularly talking about our two home games – you do kind of think it wouldn’t have taken much more authority or calmness on the field for those to have been not comfortable, but they could have easily turned our way.
“So, when you look at it that way, that obviously puts a big difference on the perspective of the season,” admitted Chiefs boss Rob Baxter, who has rung the changes in an effort to end their winless streak.
Scott Sio is named captain, while Richard Capstick moves alongside Franco Molina in the second row with Jacques Vermeulen returning from injury while Will Becconsall starts at scrum half for the first time this season.
Exeter: Josh Hodge, Olly Woodburn, Henry Slade, Will Rigg, Paul Brown-Bampoe, Will Haydon-Wood, Will Becconsall; Scott Sio (c), Dan Frost, Ehren Painter, Franco Molina, Richard Capstick, Ross Vintcent, Jacques Vermeulen, Greg Fisilau.
Replacements: Jack Yeandle, Will Goodrick-Clarke, Marcus Street, Rusi Tuima, Ethan Roots, Stu Townsend, Harvey Skinner, Ben Hammersley.
Latest Comments
I think you've confused loss ratio with win ratio (I already gave you those numbers).
Not according to you're theory of winning rugby it doesn't "reflect performance", but maybe you have a further opinion on that two year period of success I mentioned? This decade they have had two years of winning football (SR AU) and the other two years with just the sole team winning (SRP).
I think you're looking for something in my post that isn't there, I'm just providing informational and letting a normal debate flow from it(sadly there forums aren't setup to capitlize on this time of community evolvement). What you need to focus on providing reason for is the lack of SR success in 00's, while obtain consistent/good national success. Does it not necessarily work both ways? The national team can obviously do well despite the clubs not, but can you say the national team will do well if it has winning club sides? Ie they can focus on that lower level creating a winning culture and let the top take care of itself? As I have said above, the one striking reason the Wallabies still had good results in the 00's (same win rate as when they had much better SR results around 2011), is despite only having one team with a winning season a lot of the time they were some of their best winning seasons in SR history.
Also as per you refer to recent consolidation this year and possible improvement and/or change of how the data needs to be interrupted, that pretty much applies to everything so far in the 20's, i'm not sure it's worth trying there either. The 10's, where the 'winning formula' theory works, and 00's, where it doesn't, are the more consistent era's (provide more reliable data) imo.
Go to commentsThe players have to play to the " gameplay " they trained for , instructed by the coaches .
England looked lost when Ireland upped the ante.
In contrast all the Irish players looked far better coached and attacked in unity .
Also
To criticise a 1.75 and 13 stone ball player for not being able to tackle expertly is like criticising Maro Itoje for not having a decent sidestep . Stupid.
Anyone knows a retreating pack makes the life of the 9 and 10 very difficult and this where the game turned .
That and silly penalties , dropped balls etc etc .
Borthwick will be here for a while But the team is crying out for better direction from the coaches .
Is the RFU listening .