The Exeter update on 'relatively complex' Henry Slade injury setback

Henry Slade is a doubt for England’s Autumn Nations Series after his Exeter boss Rob Baxter issued an injury update on the midfielder on Friday. The 31-year-old was a starter in all three recent Test matches away to Japan and New Zealand (twice) following a Guinness Six Nations campaign where he was an ever present after bouncing back from his Rugby World Cup 2023 omission.

Slade revealed on Instagram on Thursday that he had a post-tour operation, writing: “Op done. Now to get stuck into some rehab. The anaesthetic got me.” There were no details at the time as to how long he would be sidelined for, but club boss Baxter has now revealed the prognosis is a three-to-four-month lay-off. 

That time scale would leave Slade racing to be fit for England’s four-game November schedule which begins at home to New Zealand at Twickenham and also features matches versus Australia, South Africa and Japan.  

Exeter issued a statement on Friday, confirming that Slade will miss the start of the 2024/25 campaign. Director of rugby Baxter said: “Henry picked up a shoulder injury during the Guinness Six Nations playing for England earlier this year. 

“The joint was stable, so Henry was able to play through the rest of the competition and resume playing with us through to the end of the 2023/24 season. We were aware that there was a slight issue, as were England, and it has slightly worsened throughout the summer tour.

“After having the shoulder re-scanned and checking in with how Henry feels about his shoulder, we have made the decision that now is the right time to have the operation. Hopefully he can use this down period to complete a strong rehab stint before we get back into rugby.

“It’s a relatively complex operation which, at this stage, makes it a little difficult to talk about his return to play time. It is likely to be in the three-to-four-month range so unfortunately, he is going to miss a good chunk of the start of the season with us.

“History has taught us plenty of times that Henry is an incredibly good rehabber. He will return very fit, as he has been in great form for club and country. Although this is unfortunate, we know he is going to work very hard, and I predict he will still have a very big impact on next season both for us and for England.”