Christian Wade playing plans outlined as Wigan Warriors coach 'impressed' by key trait of new arrival

The 34-year-old winger played 52 minutes in Wigan’s 56-10 victory over Castleford Tigers in the Reserves League last Thursday, playing his first rugby league game just a day after linking up with his new teammates at Robin Park Arena.

His first appearance in the 13-a-side code came just five days after he played his final game in rugby union for Gloucester, where he scored twice in a win over Northampton Saints, but Gloucester narrowly missed out on the play-offs in Premiership Rugby, meaning he was able to link up with Peet’s side almost immediately.

Wigan are back in Super League action this Saturday, as they travel to the FLAIR Stadium in Dewsbury to face Huddersfield Giants, with Peet outlining his plans for the club’s new signing.

“He won’t play (against Huddersfield),” said Peet. “He is going to have another game in our reserves next week against St Helens, and then we’ll reassess.

“We have to acknowledge the fact that Christian is new to rugby league, but he has also just come off the back of a long, hard season.

“It was always agreed that we would freshen him up a little bit and accelerate his learning on practice and reserve games, and he’s there to be called upon if and when.”

Meanwhile, Peet says he was impressed by the way Wade embraced his baptism of fire in rugby league, playing his first game just a day after touching base with the Warriors.

“I wasn’t surprised (by his attitude to play in the reserves straight away) in terms of my dealings with him,” Peet continued. “But I just think you wouldn’t get that many sportsmen who would be so keen to throw themselves into a game with less than a week’s recovery and only one training session, so I wouldn’t say it was a surprise, but I was impressed.

“I just asked him (about playing in the reserves) because obviously until the weekend prior, we didn’t know when his rugby union season was going to finish, and it happened that the opportunity was there with the reserve fixture, so I put it to him as an option, to fast track him and see where we’re up to, and he was very keen, and didn’t give it a second thought.

“All the skills that have made him a success in rugby union are transferrable skills in terms of his athleticism, the way he carries the ball and more importantly than that, his attitude to learn quickly and apply himself.

“He’s mixed into the group really well, I think he won a lot of friends with the way he put his hand up to play for the reserves last week, so soon after the end of his Gloucester career.”