Christian Wade (born 15 May 1991) is an English professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

player, former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player, and former

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player, who currently plays for

Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors is an English professional rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club competes in the Super League, the top tier of the British rugby league system. Formed in 1872, the club is a founding member of the Ru ...

in the

Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...

. Wade played for

Wasps A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...

for seven seasons and scored 82 tries in

Premiership Rugby Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby ...

, which places him fifth in the best try scorers list. In October 2018, he switched to American football to pursue a career in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

. He spent three seasons as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

' practice squad and then returned to rugby union in August 2022. In 2013, Wade played one international match for

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, against

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Early life

Raised in

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

, Buckinghamshire, Wade attended Hamilton Primary School and Royal Grammar School. He was not initially interested in rugby union but picked it up as it was the RGS's primary sport. He represented England U16 A, England U18 and

England U20 England national under-20 football team, also known as England Under-20s or England U20(s) or England Men's Elite Squad, represents England in association football at an under-20 age level and is controlled by the Football Association, the gov ...

, and

at the

Middlesex Sevens The Middlesex Sevens was a Rugby Sevens tournament held annually at Twickenham stadium in London, England until 2011. It was first held in 1926, and started by Dr J.A. Russell-Cargill, a London-based Scot.Bath, ''Scotland Rugby Miscellany'', p82 T ...

as a schoolboy. A former district and English Schools athlete, Wade ran a time of 10.8 seconds over the 100m distance at the age of 16. He was trained by the former English sprinter Julian Golding. After finishing school, Wade studied

Sports science Sports science is a discipline that studies how the healthy human body works during exercise, and how sports and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body perspectives. The study of sports science traditionally i ...

and

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

at St Mary's University College in Twickenham while playing for the Wasps' academy side and then the senior team. As of 14 February 2017, he had a 0.623 tries per game ratio for Wasps with 76 tries in 122 matches. For the England Saxons, Wade had a 1.5 tries per game ratio, scoring nine tries in six matches.

Rugby union career

Club career

Wade made his debut for

Wasps RFC Wasps Rugby Football Club was a professional rugby union team. They last played in Premiership Rugby, the top division of English rugby, until being suspended on 12 October 2022. On 17 October 2022, the club entered administration, resulting in ...

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

on 30 January 2011 against Harlequins by replacing Jack Wallace in the 48th minute of the 13–38 defeat in the 2010–2011 Season. He made three further appearances that season scoring one try against

Exeter Chiefs Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an England, English professional rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1871 and since 2006 has played i ...

. Wade had a strong 2011–12 season, when despite missing three months with injury, he finished the season as the second-highest try scorer in the Premiership with nine in 15 games. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Wade was named both the Players' Player of the Year and the Young Player of the Year after a good season for Wasps. He finished level with club teammate Tom Varndell as the Premiership's joint leading try-scorer with 13. Wade also scored five tries in the 2012–13 European Challenge Cup including their quarter-final defeat against

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

. Overall he scored 18 tries in 26 appearances in that season. In the 2013–2014 season, Wade made ten appearances and scored five tries before an injury against

London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club that most recently competed in the Premiership Rugby, Premiership, the top division of rugby union in England. The club also participated in the European Rugby Champions Cup, European Champion ...

in November ended his season. After eight months of rehabilitation, he made his return against

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...

, scoring two tries in defeat. He scored 12 more tries in the next 21 games. On 16 April 2016, Wade equalled the Premiership record by scoring six tries in one match against

Worcester Warriors Worcester Warriors are a professional rugby union club based in Worcester, England. They most recently played in Premiership Rugby, the top division of English rugby union, before being suspended by the Rugby Football Union, RFU in September 2 ...

. At the end of that campaign he played in a Champions Cup semi-final loss against Saracens. The following 2016–17 season saw Wasps top the table and Wade started in the final which saw them lose to Exeter after extra time to finish runners up.

Return to rugby (2022–present)

Wade made a return to rugby in August 2022 in a sevens tournament for French side

Racing 92 Racing 92 () is a French professional rugby union club based in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Paris' western inner Banlieue, suburbs that competes in Top 14. The club plays its home matches at the 30,681-capacity Stadium#Types, domed stadium Pa ...

. A permanent move to the side was confirmed in September 2022. His last appearance for the club came in the

2023–24 Top 14 season The 2023–24 Top 14 competition is the 125th French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). Format The top six teams at the end of the regular season (after all the teams played one another twice ...

quarter-final elimination against Bordeaux Bègles. In March 2024

Gloucester Rugby Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was formed in 1873 and since 1891 has played its home matches ...

announced the signing of Wade for the 2024–25 season.

International career

Sevens

Wade made his international sevens debut at the

IRB Sevens World Series The SVNS, known as the HSBC SVNS for sponsorship reasons, is an annual series of international rugby sevens tournaments run by World Rugby featuring national sevens teams. Organised for the first time in the 1999–2000 season as the IRB World ...

in Dubai in December 2009 and he scored 7 tries in George a week later, finishing joint top try scorer with Fijian wizard, William Ryder. He added 2 more in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

and three more tries in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

a week later. He scored 3 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Overall, he amassed 22 tries in 7 tournaments in the 2009–10 Series, which made him the 15th highest individual try scorer that season. Wade was selected for the 17-man initial England rugby sevens training squad for the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

U20s

Wade was a member of the

squad that finished fourth at the

2010 IRB Junior World Championship The 2010 IRB Junior World Championship was the third annual international rugby union competition for Under 20 national teams, this competition replaced the now defunct under 19 and under 21 world championships. The event was organised by rugby's ...

and scored his only try of the tournament against hosts

during the pool stage. He was part of the side that completed a grand slam during the 2011 Six Nations Under 20s Championship and scored in the penultimate round against

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. Later that year he scored six tries at the

2011 IRB Junior World Championship The 2011 IRB Junior World Championship was the fourth annual international rugby union competition for Under 20 national teams, this competition replaced the now defunct under 19 and under 21 world championships. The event was organised by rugby' ...

including in the final against

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

which England lost to finish runners up.

England, Saxons and Lions

On 27 May 2012, Wade started for England against the

Barbarians A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

in an uncapped fixture at

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

which saw him score a try while also setting up Jonathan Joseph in the last play of the game with some elusive footwork in a 57–26 victory. He was included on the 2012 tour of South Africa and scored a hat-trick during the trip. Wade was a member of the senior squad for their 2013 tour of Argentina and scored during a warm-up 40–12 victory over the Barbarians. On 8 June 2013 Wade made his

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film) ...

debut playing the whole 80 minutes in a win against Los Pumas. This was ultimately his only

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

for England. Wade was selected for the second game against Argentina the following week but withdrew from the team when he was called up to join the

2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia The 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia was a rugby union tour during June and July 2013. The British & Irish Lions played ten matches - a three-Test match (rugby union), test series against Australia national rugby union team, Austra ...

. He made his Lions debut on the right wing against the

ACT Brumbies The ACT Brumbies (known from 2005 to 2022 as simply the Brumbies) is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the brumby, feral horses wh ...

Super Rugby side. Wade was initially selected to play against

in the 2013 Autumn Internationals, however a slight hamstring tear meant he had to withdraw from the game. He was overlooked for the 2014 Internationals, but was selected for

England Saxons England A is England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England Saxons. England A play a key role in the development of emerg ...

to play against the Irish Wolfhounds. In June 2016 Wade scored the winning try for England Saxons as they completed a series win over South Africa A at Outeniqua Park.

International tries

† Full international cap not awarded for Barbarians Test match. ‡ Full international cap not awarded for South African Barbarians South Test match.

American football career

In October 2018, Wade left rugby to pursue a career in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

, with Wasps releasing him from his contract. On 8 April 2019, Wade was allocated as a

to the

as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway program. Several months later, on 9 August 2019, for his debut with his new team, Wade had a 65-yard touchdown run on his first carry in the pre-season game against the Indianapolis Colts. On 31 August 2019, Wade was waived by the Bills and signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the next day. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Bills on 6 January 2020. On 27 April 2020, Wade was given a roster exemption as an international player for a second season. He was waived on 5 September 2020, and signed to the

the next day. He was placed on the practice squad/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

list by the team on 28 December 2020, and restored to the practice squad four days later. On 26 January 2021, Wade signed a reserves/futures contract with the Bills. On 4 May 2021, Wade was given a roster exemption as an international player for a third season. On 1 April 2022, he was released by the Bills.

Rugby league career

In April 2025, Wade signed a short-term contract with

club

until the end of the 2025 season, which will start at the conclusion of Gloucester's 2024–25 season. On 4 June Wade made his rugby league debut in a reserves game against Castleford Tigers at

The Jungle ''The Jungle'' is a novel by American author and muckraking-journalist Upton Sinclair, known for his efforts to expose corruption in government and business in the early 20th century. In 1904, Sinclair spent seven weeks gathering information ...

, with no senior league games taking place that weekend as a result of the Challenge Cup final. Wigan won the game 56–10.https://wiganwarriors.com/blog/2025/06/05/reserves-beat-castleford/

References

External links

* *
Wasps Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, Christian 1991 births Living people 21st-century English sportsmen Alumni of St Mary's University, Twickenham Black British sportsmen British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England Buffalo Bills players England international rugby union players English expatriate rugby union players in France English expatriate sportspeople in the United States English players of American football English rugby league players English rugby union players Expatriate players of American football Footballers who switched code Gloucester Rugby players International Player Pathway participants People educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe Racing 92 players Rugby league players from Berkshire Rugby league wingers Rugby union fullbacks Rugby union players from Slough Rugby union wings Wasps RFC players