Henry Slade staying at Sandy Park

Exeter Chiefs legend and England international Henry Slade has ended speculation about his future by agreeing a new deal at Sandy Park.

Rumours were swirling that this season’s leading scorer in the Gallagher Premiership may be tempted into a move to France, but the new contract has ended that speculation in heartening fashion for Exeter fans.

Slade has won 62 England caps and featured in the Six Nations this season.

Slade told the BBC: “There’s an extremely strong group coming through now, and I’m relishing being one of the senior boys in amongst a group with so much potential to do some great things.

“Wanting to see what I could achieve with a new group did serve as a bit of a refresher as it posed a new challenge. I’ve been here for 12 years with a lot of the same faces, and it felt like a very different club this year. Coming into pre-season, it was an exciting challenge.

“I’m more experienced now but I feel like I’m only just coming into my prime. I feel physically in really good shape, mentally excited about what I’m doing and the opportunities here. So, I’m really looking forward to continuing my career here.”

Despite the relief among Exeter Chiefs’ supporters at this news, there was some disquiet about a social media video for the club that some interpreted as indicating Slade would actually be leaving the club.

“Imagine fumbling the bag so hard that you make a big emotional video, but your fans don’t know if their star player is leaving or has signed a new contract. Incredible stuff, genuine,” Blood and Mud podcast host Josh Gardner wrote.