Christian Wade is hoping to book himself a ticket to Rio over the next month after scoring a record-equalling six tries for Wasps against Worcester. The 24-year-old wing has made it clear he would love to represent Team GB at the Olympic Games but is still waiting to discover if he will be required for either Brazil or England’s tour to Australia in June.
Although Wade has played for England Sevens and is in scintillating form no one has yet inquired about his availability for the Olympics, with rugby politics in danger of undermining the whole GB men’s sevens project. One member of England’s elite player squad, understood to be Bath’s Semesa Rokoduguni, is under consideration but the preliminary squad has yet to be announced.
If Wasps, still in the hunt for trophies on two fronts, can reach a European final by defeating Saracens in Reading on Saturday it will not do Wade’s claims any harm. His six Premiership tries in Wasps’ 54-35 win at Sixways on Saturday underlined the attacking threat he can pose and, when fit, there are few sharper finishers in the northern hemisphere.
Eddie Jones has given no indication, however, that the player is in line to tour Australia and sevens may yet prove Wade’s best route back to the big time.
“I have always loved sevens and if I got the opportunity to go and do that I would 100% go for it,” Wade said.
“An Olympic medal is one of the highest honours for anyone. You would be representing Great Britain and a medal would just be massive, something you can hold on to and be proud of. There will be millions of viewers watching … it is probably the ultimate stage.”
Wade was due to represent England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games but missed out through injury. Since winning his sole Test cap and being called up as a replacement on the British and Irish Lions tour in 2013 he has worked hard on his defence and kicking game but was omitted from England’s 50-man squad for the Rugby World Cup.
“It hit me quite hard not being involved in the 50-man squad and made me think about where I was as a player,” Wade said. “It wasn’t so much about setting out to change my game because the last game I played for England I scored four tries against the Barbarians.
“I don’t know there was a lot I needed to change. That’s what hit me … there wasn’t any feedback in terms of what I needed to do. It was always the same thing … you’re doing well but we’re going to try this guy.
“For me it was about not having such a massive emphasis on rugby. Rugby’s not the be-all and end-all, there’s other things in life you can get involved in.”
The next step will depend on whether club, country and Team GB can reach a mutual agreement that suits all parties.
Dai Young, Wasps’ director of rugby, has received no formal approach from the sevens authorities.
“We’ve had no information or discussions about Christian going to the Olympic Games or being a part of the sevens. Christian is a great sevens player, as we’ve seen, but he’s also a very good 15s player. The reality is that he and Joe Simpson are both 15-a-side players for us.”
Young is convinced that Wade should be playing representative rugby somewhere this summer. “There are two summer tours and hopefully he’s going to be involved in one of them,” he said. “He has shown he has the ability to score tries out of nothing and I wouldn’t swap him for any other winger in the league.
“There’s new [England] management and I think the slate is wiped clean. I’m sure they’re looking at what people are producing now, not what they were producing two or three years ago.”
