Henry Slade confident Exeter can upstage Saracens in Premiership final

Exeter Chiefs fly-half Henry Slade is confident of taking on Saracens when the two teams meet each other in the Aviva Premiership final on 28th May at Twickenham.

Exeter have made it to the final for the first time after defeating four-time champions Wasps in the play-off at the Sandy Park and now they will be up against a rampaging Saracens side, who are fresh from their European Champions Cup title victory.

A victory on Saturday will make Exeter the ninth different team to have won the Premiership in the last 29 years but Slade urged the team not to get overhauled by the occasion.

"You don't want to put the occasion to the back of your mind because that gives you a lot of drive," Exeter's England international centre Slade said.

"It's the Premiership final. You win that, you are champions of England. You don't need much more motivation than that. If we make the most of the occasion, we will be right on it.

"We have got to the final, we've got a week to re-set ourselves, and we will go from there.”

On the other hand, Saracens are in great form having topped the group stage with 17 wins from 22 games and after their recent Champions Cup victory they will be keen to win their third Premiership title.

In the group stage, Saracens had defeated Exeter on both the occasions, however, Slade is confident of his players thriving under pressure.

"The boys like a challenge. Over the last few seasons we've slowly progressed and progressed.

"Last season we were disappointed not to get in the play-offs. This season, once we got ourselves in with a shout, we had our minds set on a home semi-final. We did that and now we've got a final.

"I know they (Saracens) have done the double on us this year, but we did the double on them last year. We definitely know we can beat them.

"Maybe we are surprising other people, but internally there is a massive expectation and we have a lot of confidence in our ability."

The last time both the teams met each other was at Allianz Park, where Saracens defeated Exeter 36-18. Recollecting the game, Slade added it is important not to repeat the mistakes.

"We have been going well the last few weeks," Slade added. "We've had a really high work-rate and our defence has been awesome.

"They are definitely a strong defensive side too, so that will be a key part of the final.

"Last time we played them at their place, in the first half we didn't come out of the blocks quickly enough. We will try not to make the same mistake this time."

Slade has recently recovered from a broken leg, which sidelined him for three months. However, he has been getting into the groove well, which is an encouraging sign for England ahead of the crucial Australian tour.

The 23-year-old said the rehabilitation period was a "frustrating" one, but he had stuck to the basics.

"I have put it (the injury) behind me now," he said.

"The first few games I came back expecting to pick up where I left off. I was getting frustrated by not being up to pre-injury form and it took a few games to get my confidence back.

"I had a lot of chats with the coaches about how I was going to get through it. I just went back to basics, just focussing on my job. That was pretty good for me."

Meanwhile, Exeter head coach Rob Baxter is aware of the challenges ahead while facing an in-form Saracens in the final.

“If someone said to me is there one team you want to face in the final and one team you like to have the opportunity to beat, you would have to say Saracens because they have been the stand-out side all season," he said.

"They've finished top of the Premiership and they've just won Europe, so if you are going to win the Premiership, let's go up against a very good side and see where it takes us."

In their head-to-head battle, Saracens have won 10 while Exeter managed four wins in the 14 games played.