‘Incredible’ Henry Slade must be in England’s Six Nations squad, claims Brian O’Driscoll after Exeter beat Glasgow

England boss Steve Borthwick cannot afford to overlook Exeter Chiefs’ Henry Slade for the upcoming Six Nations, claims TNT Sports pundit Brian O’Driscoll.

The Exeter centre was a surprise omission from Steve Borthwick's 33-player squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup but has been one of Exeter's standout players so far this season.

Slade scored a late conversion to complete a comeback and cap another excellent performance as Exeter sealed their place in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup with a dramatic 19-17 victory over Glasgow Warriors.

And speaking during TNT Sports' coverage of the event, O'Driscoll heaped praise on the centre.

"He’s just been incredible, not just in Europe but also in the Premiership as well. Just turning up for clutch moments.

"Talk about turning the disappointment of non-selection at the World Cup into a positive and really delivering on performances time and again – away from home or at home, it doesn’t matter.

"He has to be in Steve Borthwick’s squad for the Six Nations. He just offers something different. With the exodus of a huge number of players at Exeter Chiefs, it feels like he has really stepped up into a massive leadership role."

It was a dramatic finish at Sandy Park as Zack Wimbush levelled the scores with just three minutes remaining, Slade delivered with the conversion before Euan Ferrie's try for the Warriors was controversially chalked off for offside.

Speaking to TNT Sports in his post-match interview, Slade suggested that Exeter had been fortunate.

"Full credit to Glasgow, they played really well today and were very unlucky not to get the win at the end," he said.

"I think decisions like that can go either way, luckily enough for us it was on our side.

"I think there’s definitely things we’ve got to work on. I mean, if we’d lost that game, could we have complained? Probably not."

However, Slade credited his side's resilience to come from behind and seal the victory, their third straight win in Pool 3.

"That’s a big part of this team. I think it’s very good for the young boys to come through experiences like this.

"I think the energy they’re showing and how well they’re playing is really impressive."

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