Slater intends to show as much again in the quasi-international atmosphere of today’s Heineken Cup quarter-final at Stade Marcel Michelin, when the English champions seek to create a neat piece of club history by ending Clermont Auvergne’s 74-match winning home run since 2009.
If he does, Slater may then even be ready to disturb the Courtney Lawes-Joe Launchbury pairing of locked-in locks that has served England so impressively this season. Slater’s own coach, Richard Cockerill, certainly believes he should for the New Zealand tour in June.
“England should pick him now,” said Cockerill. “The captaincy has focused his mind and he is certainly playing well enough. Against Lawes when we won at Northampton, he was the better lock.”
That was a week ago, Slater man of the match as another early dividend from Cockerill’s captaincy decision that has already far exceeded what either expected when the original captain Toby Flood was dropped for Owen Williams at fly-half.
“Was I happy with how I played against Northampton? Yes. Would I say that means I have earned a place in the England team? I wouldn’t,” said Slater. “Courtney and Joe were justified selections. But I was disappointed not to play. Being ambitious, you want to be part of it.
“The credit they got over the Six Nations was warranted. They were by far the best partnership in the competition. So I’ve no arguments there. Going into the Six Nations my role was to push and prove what I could offer.
“My experience in the Six Nations squad was enough for them to know what I’m about. Playing on the biggest stage in club rugby is going to enhance my case by showing whether I can perform and handle the pressure.”
Slater, 25, is a Leicester lad who has enough of a job gaining a place in his home-town team, let alone for England, and if Geoff Parling had not spent so much of the season recovering from injury he might still not have established himself.
Article source: http://www.espnscrum.com/france/rugby/story/203613.html
Leicester star Ed Slater ready to test England locks
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