Slade's year to remember

In what has certainly been a year to remember for Henry Slade, the Exeter Chiefs young gun insists his key aim moving forward is to just "keep his head down".

During a terrific 12 months for the 21-year-old playmaker, not only has Slade helped England Under-20s to lift the Junior World Championship for the first time, but he has helped the Chiefs to secure their first-ever major trophy; featured regularly in both the Aviva Premiership and Heineken Cup; as well as getting senior international action with the England Saxons.

It has - in Slade's own words - been somewhat "surreal". However, Slade's magical year continued this week when he was selected - along with Exeter club-mates Luke Cowan-Dickie, Dave Ewers, Sam Hill and Tom Johnson - in Stuart Lancaster's England training squad ahead of their upcoming clash with the Barbarians and the subsequent summer tour to New Zealand.

"It's been an unbelievable year for me and for the club," he said. "Obviously it's great to get our first bit of silverware in the LV=Cup, that was awesome for the club and it showed how far the club has come in the last few years.

"I think there are plenty of positives to take from the season, although we haven't had our best finish in the league, it's been close and another year some of those results might have gone our way."

Having secured the LV= Cup and produced some impressive displays in Europe, some felt the Chiefs had struggled to contend with the challenge of the Premiership this season where they finished eighth in the final standings.

"In the Heineken Cup we progressed further than we have done in previous years. Having teams like Toulon come to Sandy Park is great for the supporters, they've have been there for us the whole way, added Slade. "They've been great for us the whole year, home and away, and that just helps us boys on the pitch."

An indication of the ever-growing Chiefs support was displayed following the trophy success over Northampton Saints in March when thousands lined the streets of the city to show their support to Rob Baxter's side during an open-top bus parade.

"It was quite surreal," Slade recalled. "We were at the top of the street, we'd just got on the bus, and there was nobody there and we just thought it was going to be a long day, but by the time we got down in the middle it was absolutely packed. It was a good way for us to pay back the supporters and the people of Exeter for the commitment they've shown to us. It was nice to give them a bit back."

Slade, who this week helped with the latest O2 Touch festival up at the University of Exeter alongside Gloucester and England forward Matt Kvesic, is just one of a number of highly-rated youngsters who the Chiefs have brought through their Academy ranks in recent years - and who the club hope will help guide them to even more success in the coming years.

The likes of Slade, Ewers, Hill, Cowan-Dickie and Jack Nowell, the latter of whom this year broke into the full England ranks, are seen as the future lifeblood of the Devon club as they look to continue to make waves both in English and European rugby circles.

"A number of us boys have played together coming through the age groups and lived together for the last few years so it's awesome to see them doing well," he said. "When we came into the first team at Exeter we had each other for support. Jack's had an awesome year, started every one of the Six Nations games, so it's great to see him doing so well and hopefully some of us guys to follow him in the not too distant future."

Certainly Slade's call-up this week is an indication that Lancaster is monitoring the young Chiefs closely, but the Plymouth-born ace insists he is primarily happy to keep his feet on the ground and see what develops.

He continued: "It's early stages in my career so I'm just focusing on how I'm playing for Exeter and keeping my place in the team," Slade admitted, not getting too carried away with the chance to impress national boss Stuart Lancaster.

"I just have to keep my head down and work hard then see what happens. This season I've surpassed the expectations I set myself at the start of the year so anything else is just a bonus now."