The Henry Slade gamble that shows the centre has become one of England’s most important players

Henry Slade has gone from on the outside looking in to an integral part of the England side - (Getty Images)

The last two weeks have said everything about Henry Slade’s importance to this England side. After undergoing shoulder surgery in the summer after the tour of New Zealand, the Exeter centre was in a race against time to be available for another meeting with the All Blacks at the start of the Autumn Nations Series. Time was tight – any hitch in his recovery would have rendered him unavailable.

But England were prepared to make every effort to ensure he was fit and ready. Last Wednesday evening, while the rest of the squad enjoyed a night watching Barcelona thrash Bayern Munich, Slade scrambled back to Exeter in order to be ready to play against Harlequins on Sunday.