{"id":383379,"date":"2025-12-31T21:24:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T21:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/383379\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T21:24:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T21:24:18","slug":"i-want-to-leave-a-legacy-and-take-chris-ashtons-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/383379\/","title":{"rendered":"I want to leave a legacy \u2014 and take Chris Ashton\u2019s record"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christian Wade is trying to juggle two simultaneous tasks now he is at Newcastle Red Bulls \u2014 one selfish, the other selfless.<\/p>\n

First, the selfish one. Wade is desperately seeking to trump Chris Ashton\u2019s Gallagher Prem record tryscoring tally of 101. Having joined Newcastle<\/a> this month after completing a short stint in rugby league with Wigan Warriors, he is nine short of passing Ashton, sitting on 93 tries with ten matches left of the season.<\/p>\n

This quest has been put on ice and resumed twice as Wade quit rugby in 2018 to have a crack at American football, and then took up a contract at Wigan after the end of his comeback year at Gloucester last season before returning to Newcastle.<\/p>\n

The will-he won\u2019t-he has been most frustrating for Ashton, who finally completed his own crusade to hit 100 Prem tries in 2023. Wade has revelled in reminding him regularly that he is coming for his crown, while Ashton can do nothing to respond now that he is a television and radio pundit.<\/p>\n

\"Saracens<\/p>\n

Ashton crosses the line in trademark style for Saracens in 2017<\/p>\n

ANDREW FOSKER\/SECONDS LEFT\/REX\/SHUTTERSTOCK<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never know, he might be at the game I do it,\u201d Wade, 34, says. \u201cI\u2019m going to text him now, saying, \u2018Look out for my interview in The Times.\u2019 I\u2019ll tell him to stay locked in, bro. It\u2019s all fun and games, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Wade has been offered all sorts of assistance by his new team-mates to make sure he breaks the record this season, but in his heart of hearts he wants to do it \u201cproperly\u201d. If he does, it will be a remarkable feat as he has only played 144 matches in English rugby\u2019s top flight and spent 5\u00bd seasons out of the league. Ashton had one year off, in 2017-18 when he played for Toulon, and took 180 matches to reach 101 tries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boys want me to get it, so they\u2019re saying, \u2018Look, if I\u2019m over the line and you\u2019re there, I\u2019ll give you the ball, just make sure you\u2019re ready for it,\u2019 \u201d Wade says. <\/p>\n

\"Newcastle<\/p>\n

Wade in action for Gloucester against Newcastle last season \u2014 he believes the new ownership at Kingston Park will reverse Newcastle\u2019s fortunes<\/p>\n

STU FORSTER\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like for it to happen naturally, just like all my other tries. I remember in 2012-13 when I won top tryscorer with Wasps, I gave Tom Varndell an extra one and we ended up finishing the year as joint-top scorers [with 13 tries]. It was hilarious. I said to him at the awards\u2019 night, \u2018Bro, just know that I brought you here.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Wade will do well to take the record this season. He averages 9.3 tries per campaign \u2014 to Ashton\u2019s 7.2 \u2014 but has already missed seven league matches as he arrived from Wigan late and then was knocked out during his debut in the Challenge Cup against South African side Lions.<\/p>\n

So he has a second, perhaps more meaningful, task for his Newcastle stint \u2014 leaving a legacy. Initially he has signed a one-year deal but, whether he will be around for long, he wants to help kick-start the Red Bull project by assisting the inexperienced Newcastle kids, guiding the likes of Oli Spencer, the 21-year-old wing, so that they achieve long after Wade has retired.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone that knows me would say I\u2019m just selfless all the way across,\u201d Wade says. \u201cI always want to pour as much wisdom into the youngsters as possible, spend time with them, crack jokes and just bring good vibes all the time. They can come to me whenever. At the same time, I will do what I need to do to make sure that I\u2019m in the position to put my best foot forward. I always want to be the best I can be and I know I can do both.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m all about legacy. Whatever I can do to help this team now, I\u2019m going to do it. And whether I\u2019m here next year or not, that doesn\u2019t matter. I have a big passion for the youth because they\u2019re the ones who are going to take the game forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wade does not mind the North East\u2019s winter chill. He is used to this from his days playing for the Buffalo Bills, where the car park by the training ground in upstate New York still had snow in it come May.<\/p>\n

\"Christian<\/p>\n

Wade was allocated to the Bills as part of the NFL\u2019s International Player Pathway program but never played for them in a regular-season game<\/p>\n

TIMOTHY T LUDWIG\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

\u201cBro, I know all about the snow,\u201d he says. \u201cIf Lake Erie didn\u2019t freeze over, we were definitely getting a big snowfall. I\u2019ll probably have to speak to the guys about making it nice and cosy on the bench here, though. In the NFL you\u2019ve got a heated bench and where your feet go you\u2019ve got big industrial fire-blower heaters, they give you chicken broth and hot chocolate in big flasks. There are saunas here, but they\u2019ve definitely got to do something about making up here cosy if you\u2019re on the sidelines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wade is an antidote to negativity with his relaxed demeanour, star quality and good-vibes outlook. He is very welcome, therefore, at Kingston Park, where despite two recent wins in the Challenge Cup \u2014 over Lyon and Lions \u2014 Newcastle are still winless in eight Prem matches. <\/p>\n

That makes it two league victories, both of which came last season, in the past 46 matches stretching back to March 2023. The buzz of Red Bull\u2019s takeover this summer has quickly faded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told the guys, I\u2019m here now, so everything\u2019s going to be all right. I\u2019ve arrived!\u201d Wade jokes.<\/p>\n

He was convinced to join by Steve Diamond, who was sacked as the director of rugby after just one match of the season, and liked the sustainable Red Bull vision. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just: \u2018Come in and spend loads of money.\u2019 It was a clear plan to be one of the top clubs,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"Christian<\/p>\n

Wade scored 11 Prem tries for Gloucester last season<\/p>\n

DAN ISTITENE\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

Wade has seen changes enacted quickly and calls for patience from the club\u2019s long-suffering supporters. He was part of a Wasps side that were nearly relegated in 2012 and almost went bust two years later, so has experience of the state Newcastle are in.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone assumes that Red Bull has come so it\u2019s going to be wins all round, but it means you\u2019ve got the financial security now where they can build and don\u2019t have to be looking over their shoulder,\u201d Wade explains. \u201cThe key word is build. They\u2019ve still got to lay the foundation, then build on that. You\u2019re looking at three to four years before you see a return on investment. It\u2019s still less than six months since they bought the club. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in this position before with Wasps, when we nearly went into administration. We had meetings where people said: \u2018Guys, there\u2019s no money, we can\u2019t afford tape or strapping,\u2019 and boys were not getting paid. Coming out the other side and working our way up from 2013 to 2017, we made the Prem final with probably one of the most stacked back lines and teams in Prem rugby. And we didn\u2019t have Red Bull.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy experience is going to help this team to progress in the direction they want to go. I\u2019ve been a part of teams and organisations where we\u2019ve spoken about things and they don\u2019t happen for years, but here things are happening month by month.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have just got to be patient. We\u2019ve picked up a couple of wins. Anything above not finishing bottom is obviously going to be a success.<\/p>\n

\"Wasps<\/p>\n

Wade has experience of being in a struggling side, having been part of the Wasps squad that were nearly relegated in 2012<\/p>\n

DAVID ROGERS\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving stability financially, being able to attract better players, then having the facilities, all that stuff works together, which means you\u2019re inevitably going to have success. It\u2019s not always about superstar players, but having the right blend of personalities and then creating a culture that wants to win. That\u2019s when the real magic happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wade thinks the proposed NFL-style franchise model would suit the Prem. Of course, it would help Newcastle, who know they will not be relegated and have sold out every home game so far this season with Red Bull\u2019s help, but Wade believes it would have wider benefits.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would probably produce more revenue and allow teams to focus more on game-day engagement,\u201d he says. \u201cIt could help to grow the game and take it into a different stratosphere, because that\u2019s really the issue, isn\u2019t it? We\u2019re worried about the game dying, people not wanting to play as much and where\u2019s the money coming from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those decisions are above his pay grade, though. Wade wants to sprinkle his star dust at Kingston Park as much as possible. He loved his stint in rugby league, emulating his hero Jason Robinson by scoring tries for Wigan. <\/p>\n

\"Castleford,<\/p>\n

Wade\u2019s time with Wigan this summer opened his eyes to new possibilities in rugby union<\/p>\n

ALAMY<\/p>\n

Learning how to wrestle with Sean O\u2019Loughlin in the Warriors\u2019 UFC-style octagon at their training ground has improved his contact skills, and playing a third sport opened his eyes to new possibilities in union. With Wigan he made the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford, and thought it was one of the best events he had ever been part of despite a 24-6 defeat by Hull KR.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like, why doesn\u2019t the Prem final feel like this? The production, the occasion, it was just on a whole other level,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

It is on signings like Wade to lift Newcastle out of the mire. He understands that and will juggle his selfish and selfless aims here for as long as he is allowed to.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully I can be here for longer than just this season,\u201d Wade says. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting times, man. I\u2019m really excited to see which way the club goes and what they\u2019re going to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wade\u2019s three favourite tries (so far), in his own words<\/p>\n

1. Wasps 35 Leicester Tigers 29 \u2014 Adams Park, 2011. Second try of a hat-trick<\/p>\n

Wasps-Leicester always was a big rivalry, and so obviously there\u2019s a lot of emotion in that game. I was 20, scored a hat-trick and got man of the match. The second of those tries came when Hugo Southwell caught it, threw it half the field to me, and I just ran it back and beat like three or four guys.<\/p>\n

\"Rugby<\/p>\n

2. Gloucester 30 Wasps 32 \u2014 Kingsholm, 2013. Second try
Joe Simpson picked it up, ran across and I came underneath, beat one of the back rows, then it was a one-on-one with James Simpson-Daniel, and I went around him and scored in the corner. I was in the England squad, but they were still wondering whether they should play me. They sent me back that week, so I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder. I don\u2019t understand why every week or every year I had to keep proving myself when other guys had one good game and it carried them through for years. I remember just being frustrated and going out there and wanting to just go crazy.<\/p>\n

\"Rugby<\/p>\n

3. Wasps 40 Bath 26 \u2014 Ricoh Arena, 2016. Second try
I remember my mum being at the game with my family, as it was Christmas Eve, and so I wanted to put on a show as usual. I did a move with Danny Cipriani, went through the rest of the Bath team and scored. It was our first full year at Ricoh, when we had a stacked back line with Kurtley Beale, Willie le Roux, Charles Piutau and Frank Halai.<\/p>\n

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