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Wade Scores Try to Equal Ashton's Record
Confirmed
In Short: Christian Wade equalled Chris Ashton's all-time record of 101 tries in the Gallagher Premiership with a sprint to the try line.
Christian Wade equalled Chris Ashton's all-time record of 101 tries in the Gallagher Premiership with a sprint to the try line during Newcastle Red Bulls' 17-3 victory over Sale Sharks on Friday.
Wade, who is 35, received a pass from Will Rigg and ran unopposed to score the historic try, sparking wild celebrations from his teammates.
The diminutive winger, standing at 5 feet 9 inches, has been a standout finisher despite the English game's preference for taller wings.
Wade's career has seen him score the bulk of his tries during his seven-year spell at Wasps, where he finished as the league's leading try-scorer in three different seasons.
Wade left rugby union for American football in 2018 but returned to the sport with Paris-based Racing 92 before joining Newcastle Red Bulls.
Wade's record-equalling try came in a match where Newcastle Red Bulls overcame a mistake-ridden start to secure their first victory of the season.
Wade's achievement is particularly notable given his international career yielded only one England cap against Argentina in 2013.
Wade downplayed the significance of the record, saying, 'I sometimes feel the record is more important to other people than it is to me.'
Wade's coach, Mark McFarland, praised his ability to dominate aerial battles despite his height, noting, 'He can dominate the aerial battle, so he’s done a really good job for us there.'
Wade's next opportunity to surpass Ashton's record will come when Newcastle Red Bulls face Saracens next Saturday.
What this adds
Wade's record-equalling try came in a match that increased the pressure on Sale Sharks' director of rugby Alex Sanderson, who now faces a second PREM Rugby defeat of the campaign.
Background
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What's confirmed
- "I sometimes feel the record is more important to other people than it is to me," he said.
What's still developing
- "That would take the strain away from a coach having to organise 40-plus players. The coaches could then focus more on performance and getting ready for the game."
- He played his one and only Test away to Argentina in June 2013 under Stuart Lancaster, before being called up as an injury replacement for that summer's British and Irish Lions tour of Australia.
- All this, over 15 years after scoring his first, and with spells in two other sports in that time means we are not in the company of an average sportsperson.
- It was the first of 82 for Wasps as he finished as the Prem's leading try-scorer, either on his own or jointly, in three different seasons, 2012-13, 2016-17 and 2017-18, although a Prem title eluded him as Wasps were beaten in the final by Exeter at Twickenham in 2017.
- "Riki said to me when I was coming through, 'invest in your own team off the field'," he said.
- Before the 2025/26 Gallagher PREM season, a player had scored at least five tries in a game on just three occasions, but that tally has doubled thanks to two men.
- A FloRugby annual subscription includes access to PREM Rugby, the Top 14, URC, the EPCR Challenge Cup and the Investec Champions Cup, streaming live on FloRugby and the FloSports app.
- @premrugby | @LeicesterTigers #PREMrugby pic.twitter.com/JRAc2zvgc2 Wade, who is second all-time for tries scored in the league, scored six times for Wasps against Worcester a decade ago, while Constable’s efforts were for Saracens all the way back in 2000 against Bedford.
- In addition to Wade and Constable, the only other player to score five tries in a game before this season was cross-code superstar Lesley Vainikolo, who did so for Gloucester Rugby against Leeds in 2007.
- It puts the Saracens youngster in a strong position to end the season as the Gallagher PREM’s top try-scorer, with Caluori currently sitting on 17 tries, seven clear of his nearest rivals – Bristol Bears’ Kalaveti Ravouvou and Northampton Saints’ Tommy Freeman.
- Both Caluori and Hamer-Webb will need to go one better to equal the all-time record for tries in a single Gallagher PREM match, held jointly by Christian Wade and Ryan Constable.
- “It had been hot and rainy late this October, and I was ready to go back home,” Markris, 52, tells Outdoor Life.