Rejuvenated Christian Wade looking to make up for lost time

Christian Wade says his mind is as fresh as his body after returning from a three-month lay-off last week.
The Wasps flier had been sidelined with a foot injury incurred against Toulon in the Champions Cup at the end of November.
He showed against Newcastle last week that he is already in great shape, narrowly missing out on a try after winning a 40-metre foot race with Alex Tait. Despite his frustration, the 24-year-old hopes his injury will be a blessing in disguise.
“It was great to be back,” he told The Rugby Paper. “I just wanted to be out there and enjoy playing rugby again. Shame I was offside and got the try disallowed.
“I’m used to injuries now and I deal with them better. At first it can be frustrating but I see injuries as some sort of blessing too because it gives you time away from the game. You always want to play, but having a break can be useful and injuries are a way to tell your body to chill.
“Every time I got injured was on the back of playing a lot of rugby. When I did my foot at the end of 2013 and missed the rest of the season, it was after a long season with Wasps and tours with England and the Lions.”
Wade reveals he has learnt to manage his body over the years which has helped in his recovery.
He said: “When you’re young, you might not stretch or warm up properly because don’t know your body well enough. Or you might not raise a slight niggle because you want to play.
“I manage my body a lot better now and I also see people outside the club to help me, so between them and the club’s coaches and physios, I’ve got management around to make sure I’m doing everything right.”
Wasps will take on Exeter in the Champions Cup quarter-finals in April but, with eight league games until then, Wade’s focus is on chasing a Premiership semi-final.
He added: “The Premiership is very close and we’ve got some big games coming up over the next few weeks.
“That patch in December where we didn’t pick up too many points put us off the pace a bit but if we put in the performance our squad is capable of, we might be able to close the gap.”
NICK VERDIER