Christian wades in with a dream return
CHRISTIAN WADE marked his return to rugby after four years away with two tries.
The 31-year-old former England international went over twice for Racing in their SuperSevens opener against Montpellier.
Wade last played for Wasps in 2018 where he was prolific with 82 tries in 165 appearances to become the fourth highest Premiership try-scorer of all time.
He then quit union to have a crack at making it in America in the NFL through the International Player Pathway program.
Allocated to the Buffalo Bills as a running back, he ripped off a 65-yard touchdown on his first carry in a pre-season game against the Indianapolis Colts.
It saw him make the practice squad and, last season, he was given a roster exemption as an international player for the third season.
Wade returned to England this summer following the expiry of his contract with the Super Bowl contenders hinting he could return to the sport that launched his career.
And the ex-British & Irish Lion made an instant impact on his cameo for Racing, who had a place for a ‘medical joker’ after new signing Regan Grace suffered a ruptured Achilles playing for rugby league side St Helens, at the tournament in Pau.
Wade was named in a 15strong Racing squad for the 16-team tournament and he tweeted on Friday that he was hoping to make an impact. He wrote: “Looking forward to making an appearance with Racing at the SuperSevens tomorrow. Let’s go have some fun.”
He scored their second and third tries in their 335 win to book a place in the quarter-finals.