Ed Slater

Club career

Slater began his rugby at Milton Keynes RUFC before moving to Australia, where he played for Eastern Suburbs RUFC and had a junior contract with the New South Wales Waratahs. After a trial with Leicester Tigers, he joined Nottingham during the playoffs, playing alongside future Tigers teammate Tom Youngs. His performances earned him a move to Leicester Tigers in summer 2010. In 2009/10 he provided cover for injured England locks Louis Deacon and Geoff Parling, and with retirements of Ben Kay and Richard Blaze he broke into the first team.

He won Tigers' Player of the Month in October 2010 and made over 30 appearances in his first season, helping the club top the league and reach the 2010–2011 Premiership final. In 2012/2013 he earned a Premiership winners medal as a used replacement in the final. On 7 August 2017 he moved to Gloucester in a swap deal with Jonny May. On 21 July 2022 he announced his motor neurone disease diagnosis and retired immediately.

International career

Slater was selected for the England Saxons in 2012. He was named in the senior England squad in 2012/13 but an injury in the Premiership final ruled him out of the tour. He was chosen for the 2014 Six Nations and the summer tour to New Zealand, where he captained England against the Canterbury Crusaders in his first senior appearance. He was in Stuart Lancaster's World Cup 51-man training squad and featured in Eddie Jones' plans in early 2016 before a knee injury.

Did You Know?

• He was born in Leicester but grew up in Milton Keynes and attended Denbigh School with Olympic Gold Medallist Greg Rutherford.
• Slater captained Gloucester in the 2018 Challenge Cup final loss to Cardiff Blues.