Image credit: Shutterstock. By Brent Pilnick and Sophie Hurcom, BBC Sport England. 5 hours ago. Exeter boss Rob Baxter believes Henry Slade’s leadership has been crucial in guiding his team to the Premiership final. The 33-year-old England centre has been in outstanding form lately, with Baxter describing him as “world class”.
Slade was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on during the first half of their semi-final against Bath on Saturday. However, he returned to help mastermind a remarkable comeback, as the Chiefs overturned a 26-20 deficit to win 27-26 – becoming the first team to reach a Premiership final from third place.
“Our most experienced player did the stupidest thing on the field that day, really,” Baxter told BBC Sport. “Even he knew straight away – you could see him almost thinking, ‘Oh, how have I done that?’ when he slapped the ball out of his hands.
“But he’s been excellent and he communicates so well. When you’ve been through it all before, you know what’s possible. When you’ve come from behind, when you’ve won Premiership finals, you understand you can do it – you don’t put limits on what you can achieve.
“I think he’s helping the rest of the lads believe that too.” Image credit: Shutterstock. Van Graan laments missed opportunity with Bath departure. Four hours ago. Exeter mount a comeback to shock Bath and advance to the Premiership final.