Christian Wade is set to make his Prem debut for Newcastle Red Bulls on Friday when they host his former club, Gloucester Rugby.
The 34-year-old will start on the wing, joining a back three of Ethan Grayson and Elliott Obatoyinbo, with Oli Spencer dropping down to the bench.
The experienced Wade brings a wealth of experience, having scored a remarkable 93 times in England’s top flight during a varied career that has also seen spells in the French Top 14, American football, and rugby league. He is also the second-highest try-scorer in Prem history and will have keen eyes on current leader Chris Ashton, who is just eight ahead of him.
His seven Prem hat-tricks remain a league record, with the former Wasps star touching down 11 times in 14 top-flight games for Gloucester last campaign.
Speaking recently about the Prem try scoring record, Wade said: “I’m coming to get that record.
“Of course rugby is a team sport and the main thing for me is being a positive influence in helping the overall Newcastle side to perform, but I’m not going to pretend I don’t want to be the all-time top try-scorer in the league’s history.
“I said when I signed for Gloucester that it would take me two years, and I was able to be part of a team which surprised a lot of people in finishing in the top half of the table.
“I’ve now got this fantastic opportunity with Newcastle Red Bulls, and when I spoke to Dimes about it he just said ‘we want you to come up here, express yourself and get that record.’”
Sadly, Steve Diamond is no longer with the club, but Wade’s intentions have not wavered.
Battle at the bottom
Newcastle Red Bulls head coach Alan Dickens is determined to make inroads into the seven-point gap between his side and Friday’s visitors, saying: “Gloucester are the team who are closest to us in the league, so in that sense it’s a big game, but I don’t approach it differently to any other.
“Yes, there’s a bit of noise in the media and perhaps among some of their supporters about the pressure being on Gloucester, but it’s not something that’s on my radar.
“I just worry about us getting our own game right, and if people are out there saying the opposition are under pressure or whatever – I’m not interested.
“It’s a game we’re working really hard to win, and we want to do it for our fans more than anything. They’ve been incredibly supportive and patient with us, they’ve packed out the ground for every single league game and nothing would give us greater pleasure than paying them back with a victory.”
The teams
Newcastle Red Bulls: 15 Ethan Grayson, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Alex Hearle, 12 Sammy Arnold, 11 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Simón Benítez Cruz, 8 Ollie Leatherbarrow, 7 Tom Christie, 6 Tom Gordon, 5 Jamie Hodgson, 4 Oscar Usher, 3 Richard Palframan, 2 George McGuigan (c), 1 Murray McCallum
Replacements: 16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Connor Hancock, 18 Luan de Bruin, 19 Finn Baker, 20 Amanaki Mafi, 21 James Elliott, 22 Boeta Chamberlain, 23 Oli Spencer
Gloucester: 15 Charlie Atkinson, 14 Jack Cotgreave, 13 Will Knight, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Ollie Thorley, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Tomos Williams (c), 8 Jack Clement, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Deain Gwynne, 5 Arthur Clark, 4 Freddie Thomas, 3 Afo Fasogbon, 2 Will Crane, 1 Val Rapava Ruskin
Replacements: 16 George Knowles, 17 Ciaran Knight, 18 Jamal Ford-Robinson, 19 Cam Jordan, 20 James Venter, 21 Mikey Austin, 22 George Barton, 23 Josh Hathaway
Venue: Kingston Park
Kick-off: 19:45 GMT
Referee: Christophe Ridley
Assistant Referees: Richard Gordon, Wayne Falla
TMO: Peter Allan
How to watch: discovery+
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