R360: Henry Slade admits new competition looks ‘exciting’ but maintains England aspirations after RFU warning | Rugby union news

Henry Slade admits the new R360 competition “sounds exciting” but says he still has the “fire” to pursue his own club and country ambitions.

On Tuesday, the governing unions of eight premier nations, including England, Ireland and Scotland, issued a joint statement warning that any player joining the rebel circuit will not be eligible for international selection.

R360 is a new franchise league led by England’s 2003 World Cup winner Mike Tindall, made up of 12 teams based in major cities around the world.

Slade, who has 73 Test caps for England, has been one of the big names linked with the new competition.

“Well, no one’s really heard of it,” he said. “But I think on that basis it looks exciting for rugby.

“I think people are always trying to find ways to get more people into the sport and get more and more fans involved. I think maybe this is one way to do that.

“I guess, especially when you’re a young player, you probably haven’t had the chance yet to achieve what you want to achieve. [so being ineligible for international selection may be a deterrent].

“But that fire never goes out, even when you get older. I can’t speak for everyone, everyone is different, we’ll see. The aspiration to play for your country will never leave you.

“Obviously a rugby player’s career is short, so you have to think about your family and your finances,” the 32-year-old said.

“But to play for England, yes, it’s incredible.”

The Exeter Chiefs center missed selection for the Lions over the summer but was part of England’s tour of Argentina where the Roses won both matches.

Slade hopes to return to the England shirt for the Autumn Nations Series, with the first match against Australia at Twickenham on November 1.

“We have so much strength and depth,” Slade said. “Obviously with the Lions boys being away in the summer they have done well in Australia.

“But the rest of us who went to Argentina, I think we showed real character to come away with victories there.”

“I think the team is in a very good position and I hope we can get going. There are so many good players on the pitch but also in the centers.

“A lot of options, so I just have to keep trucking, keep putting my hand up, keep going as hard as I can and who knows.”

Slade will also be keen to continue to justify her place in the team as they head to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

The prospect of making his third World Cup squad after missing the 2023 edition is also an added motivator for the centre, but he acknowledged “there’s a lot of rugby to be played between now and then”.

Henry Slade was speaking to Sky Sports as part of the Tackle Diabetes campaign to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes, combat misunderstanding and stigma and highlight the importance of early detection.