Speedy return has made Christian Wade’s 21st extra special

Wasps wing has even more reason to celebrate birthday after recovery leads to England call-up
Chris Jones16 May 2012

It took three surgeons to allow Christian Wade to celebrate his 21st birthday by earning a place in the England squad to face the Barbarians.

The London Wasps wing’s season appeared over on New Year’s Day when he unintentionally did the splits against Worcester, injuring a ligament in his groin and damaging stomach muscles.

However, Wade underwent complicated surgery and its success meant that, remarkably, he returned to action on April 7.

The former Academy player helped Wasps avoid relegation as he scored his 13th try of the season in the final match against Newcastle and was rewarded with a call-up for England’s five-match tour of South Africa next month.

Before the squad depart, they take on a star-studded Baabaas side at Twickenham on May 27 and Wade is tipped for a starting place to round off a remarkable year to date — one that required a 24-hour delay to his birthday celebrations.

He has been taking part in a two-day training camp in Bagshot and when that ends later today, he will head home for a family party.

As Wade prepared to mark his 21st year, he took time to pay tribute to that trio of surgeons and said: “I tore my adductor ligament and lower abs muscles and the scan showed it was an unusual injury which resulted from me doing the splits on a wet pitch. The adductor came off the bone and that’s why I needed the operation which meant three months out.

“The initial target was to make it back for the final match of the season against Newcastle. The three surgeons had to do the operation because one repaired the abs problem, another did the adductor ligament while the third got my reproductory system out of the way! I wasn’t aiming to rush back because I knew it was a serious injury and after four weeks at home, I started doing some light work and straight line running. I’ve spoken to the surgeons and thanked them for getting me back.

“I never thought I would be celebrating my 21st birthday as a member of the England squad preparing to play the Barbarians.”

Wade’s main concern post surgery was his ability to reproduce the speed that has always marked him out as a special talent. His sprint times highlight why England head coach Stuart Lancaster is keen to get the Wasps wing onto the Twickenham turf.

Wade said: “I’ve been timed at 10.8 seconds for the 100metres and while people said I should concentrate on sprinting, I always did a combination of athletics and rugby.

“This has been a rollercoaster ride of a season with the injury and the battle to avoid the drop but there is now a really positive vibe at Wasps with the club being sold to new owners and knowing we’re still in the Premiership.

“The number of injuries at the club this season meant a lot of young players came into the side and we’ve been given a lot of experience in big matches. The weight was on our shoulders and it was a case of dealing with the pressure.

“Now, being in the squad to face the Barbarians and off to South Africa is a great way to finish the season.”

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