Former Wigan Warriors man Christian Wade saw his first game back in rugby union come to a premature end on Saturday.
Wade left the Warriors at the end of the Super League season after a miserable half a season spell in the 13-man code. A move to Newcastle Red Bulls beckoned, with the 34-year-old taking up a deal with the Premiership club.
He has been made to wait for his chance in the North East, but it came this weekend with Wade getting the nod to start in the European Challenge Cup against Johannesburg Lions at Kingston Park.
He started on the wing but he was forced to leave the action after just 30 minutes after being caught with Angelo Davids’ swinging arm. The challenge left Wade on the deck and after several minutes of treatment on the field, he left the field with a head injury.
Davids was duly shown a yellow card for his actions. Fortunately for Newcastle, losing Wade didn’t seem to disrupt them too much with the Red Bulls claiming a 14-10 win with Murray McCallum’s effort in the 79th minute being decisive.
“He got hit on the jaw from a swinging arm, but then hit his head on the floor as he hit the ground,” Newcastle head coach Alan Dickens told the BBC on Wade’s situation
“Thankfully, I spoke to him in the changing room at half-time and then at the end of the game, but he’ll go through the HIA protocols over the next week or two.”
It’s fair to say Wade’s spell in Super League was a tricky one, with the 34-year-old failing to fully settle with the Cherry and Whites.
The winger made two appearances for Wigan Warriors and while he did score in both games, his second and last outing could be considered to be a disaster, with Wade’s rugby league inexperience being brutally exploited by Hull FC.
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