World Cup snub drove Slade to award-winning season

Henry Slade said being omitted from the England World Cup squad spurred him on to become the Premiership player of the season.

The 31-year-old centre was dropped by Steve Borthwick before last autumn's tournament in France.

He had been a fixture in the England squad for the previous few seasons and had gone to the past two World Cups.

Slade inspired an inexperienced new-look Exeter Chiefs side to get close to a play-off place and led the league with 152 points, including five tries.

"In the summer when Steve told me I wasn't going I was completely gutted," Slade told BBC Sport.

"I didn't really know what to do, I gave myself a couple of days to be angry and Rob [Baxter, Exeter director of rugby] gave me the week off.

"I told myself in the remaining couple of days of my week off that I want to get back into the international scene, and how do I do that?

"I focused on what got me there in the first place, and that was literally focusing day to day, session to session getting better and better, and weekend after weekend playing as well as I can for Exeter, putting my hand up that way."

Slade's perseverance paid off as he spearheaded a side that had been overhauled in the summer as long-serving stars like Jack Nowell, Sam Simmonds and Dave Ewers left.

But Slade, who himself was linked with a move to France before agreeing a new deal last week, stayed to help lead a side in which players such as Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Dafydd Jenkins, Ethan Roots and Greg Fisilau came to the fore as the next generation of Exeter stars.

Slade also regained his place in the England squad for the Six Nations, where he started all five matches.

"Luckily that sort of paid off and I had a great group of boys to be doing it [with]," he said.

"The boys were working so hard, giving me opportunities to do it as well.

"So to then get back into their Six Nations squad was a massive, massive plus and something I was really, really happy with.

"I never even thought about a prize like this, the only thing I was ever thinking about was playing as well as I could for Exeter every week and try and get back and play for England.

"When the [player of the season] shortlist came out the other day I didn't really expect it at all, I was a bit surprised."