Wigan Warriors coach waxes lyrical over Christian Wade as Super League anticipation grows

Former British and Irish Lions representative Wade has been training with the Warriors for a couple of weeks now, having signed a short-term deal for the remainder of the 2025 Super League season.

Wade has two rugby league games under his belt, having featured for the Reserves in wins over Castleford Tigers and St Helens, scoring two tries against the latter.

The 34-year-old winger has yet to make his Super League debut, but Peet admitted Wade is not a million miles away from featuring in the first-team, having shown a willingness to learn and adapt in the 13-a-side code, but he will likely remain in the Reserves for another week or two.

"He’s been outstandingly good in practice, but more so around the environment,” Peet said of Wade.

"He seems very popular amongst the group, all the lads are speaking very highly of him. He was good for the Reserves at the weekend, he looks very natural to say he’s so new to the game.

"We’ll probably keep monitoring him in training and the Reserves over the next week or two, but he could feature in the squad; he isn’t a million miles away."

Peet admits he has been impressed with how Wade has adapted and managed his transition into rugby league from rugby union, and has praised the way the experienced winger has approached his new code.

"He is yet to play a Super League game, but some of the fundamentals of rugby league that I thought would take him more time to pick up, he’s got a decent grasp of, and that’s because he has been so diligent and so hard working,” Peet added.

"He is one of those guys who is the first in and last out, and he accepts that he has got a lot to learn, but he has committed himself to it wholeheartedly."

Wade doesn’t count on Wigan’s salary cap due to the New Talent Rule dispensation, which means players who move over from other sports count as £0 on the salary cap in the first year, and only 50 per cent of their salary in the second year.