Slade at Red Bull Elevate: 'The feedback from him was incredible'
During the season of darkness for English rugby, a flash of light appears in the southwest. Could Henry Slade have stumbled into the future of rugby?
On his post-season recall day with Jack Nowell, eight teams competed at Red Bull's Elevate at Sandy Park, with Slade captaining the Dexcom Warriors, named after the diabetes pioneers (more on that later), and Nowell captaining the RB Rebels. Others included teams from the University of Exeter and the Chiefs, as well as fellow England internationals Freddie Steward and Luke Cowan-Dickey.
The premise was simple enough: rugby touch, seven players per side, five-minute halves and six touches before the transfer. Sounds normal, but then things get weird.
There were five judges. After each touch, the defending side had to retreat seven meters to the mark set by one of the judges. There were different scoring zones and points of sale; attempts earned closer to the posts were worth more, while kickers could choose conversions closer to the sideline for more points.
Two girls had to be on the field at the same time, and from a team of 12 people the two were to have never played rugby before. If one of the two managed to make an attempt, then it was worth doubling down. And if any player made a mistake that led to a loss, then he had to leave the field until the next attempt was scored.
>'I played every minute. It was pretty hard. I completed all of my workouts in a week so I just used them as fuel.»
In an era when rugby is calling for opportunities to make the sport more accessible and safer, Slade may have found the gold. In the midst of preparing the center for England's training camp, which Slade was selected for last Sunday, it was also a welcome respite.
“The feedback from this was incredible,” says Telegraph Sport. «Because it was a brand new game, we didn't know what to expect — whether it would work, how people would see it when they watched it — but it was great to play.
«I played every minute. . It was pretty hard. I didn't talk too much about beer as big things are coming. I completed all my workouts in a week so I just used them as a supplement.
“We may have to think [to make it more formal]. In the future, this might turn out to be a pretty cool thing. We will try to do it again next season.”
Those «big things» include Slade's tilt at a third straight World Cup with England, after Stuart Lancaster emerged as a fresh-faced 22-year-old in a disastrous 2015 campaign. Since then, the center has been a mainstay of the England side, but Slade believes selection to midfield for this year's world show in France is as open as it was eight years ago, with the likes of Manu Tuilagi, Dan Kelly, Ollie Lawrence and Joe. Marchand of all contenders for a place in Eurostar. Despite his 56 caps, Slade doesn't take anything for granted.
«I don't expect to go this year — it will be very difficult with so many opponents — but I didn't expect anything in 2015. even to training camps,” says Slade. «I just put my head down, worked hard — and this is what I will need to do this summer.»
“Competition can bring out the best in people. Having to push yourself every day, every session, to prove that you are worthy of this place and that you will do everything possible to get it is a big deal. If the team choice were clear, some people might have a reason to try one or two percent less.
“This season I was disappointed with how some of the games went in terms of getting into the match. In the center of the field, sometimes the ball flies many times, sometimes not. And this can be disappointing. The way I've learned to look at things is to keep doing the work and put myself in the position to make it happen and it will happen.»
However, Slade's rivals for center stage have never had to deal with diabetes. Slade, like 4.3 million other Britons, has diabetes; Type 1, to be exact. And this week, when it comes to diabetes awareness, a new study found that 84 percent agree that diabetes can negatively impact mental health. Slade, who wears a life-changing Dexcom monitor on his arm 24/7 that gets five-minute glucose updates, is in a 16 percent minority and is actually one in 56 percent of diabetics. who believe that the disease has made them more resilient.
“Diabetes definitely hurts my rugby, but I have always made it a positive thing and let it affect me as little as possible,” says Slade. “If my glucose level is the same as the next person who is not diabetic, then there is no difference. It doesn't affect how much weight I can lift or how fast I run.
“You have to pay more attention to yourself and what you are doing, but constantly monitoring things like your glucose levels only strengthens your mental resolve. You have to make many—hundreds—of diabetes decisions every day.
“It's on your mind all the time, but I've had it for 12 years, so I'm pretty good at what I need. do».
With a flurry of exits from Exeter, the club Slade has spent his entire professional career with since his Premier League debut in 2013, Slade is also well versed in change. The trophy-winning dynasty of chiefs fell apart, but while Slade may «never say never» by following Nowell and the Simmonds brothers overseas, Sandy Park has become his home away from home, an hour's drive from his family in Plymouth. But that doesn't make it any easier for his «rugby best friends» to leave.
«At the moment, since they haven't all gone to their new clubs yet, it doesn't look like they're gone — I can still see them,» he says. “But if I go to the World Cup, the club will be very different when I return. A lot of my best friends won't be there, which is sad, but when I look back on my time in Exeter, we were so lucky to have each other and play so many times, with so many ups and downs; win a bunch of trophies. I feel very lucky to have this with them. But it's a short career, and you have to make the most of it.
“That's how you feel with a friend, isn't it? You just want the best for them all the time. But things will be different.”
However, with five referees and a hybrid touch, the data suggests that Slade feels at home with the other.
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