“Christian Wade must add to his X-factor” – Joe Rokocoko
From his New Zealand debut against England in 2003 until his move to Bayonne in 2011, Rokocoko amassed 46 Test tries in 68 appearances for the Kiwis – making him the All Blacks joint second-highest try-scorer in Tests.
Renowned for his strength and speed, in his younger days Rokocoko tore defences to shreds as one of the most dangerous wingers in world rugby.
Fast-forward nine years from Rokocoko’s emergence and it is Wade turning heads, with speed in abundance and the same knack for crossing the whitewash.
But the international scene is a different game to when the former Blues wing first made his breakthrough, and he believes the 21-year-old Wade needs to work on his all-round game before he can make the step-up into the England fold.
“He’s an exciting bloke – there’s a lot of hype about him and you can see why,” the 29-year-old Rokocoko told The Rugby Paper.
“If he doesn’t get through he still makes a half-break and he’s a huge counter-attacking threat. If you give him any small gap he’s explosive and he’s going to punish you.”
Rokocoko, who had a close-up of Wade as Wasps beat Bayonne 30-16 in the Amlin Cup on December 13, added: “When I was his age and making my breakthrough it was similar but I would say he can’t just rely on his pace.
“With international rugby these days wingers have to be strong in a lot of areas.
“You have to be strong on the high ball, get involved, get aggressive – he’s got the X-Factor part in abundance and he’s got age on his side – he’ll learn heaps if he applies himself.
“If he gets a few more of those tools in his bag he will go a really long way, I’m convinced of that, he would excite most coaches in world rugby if he was part of their team.
“He plays on the front foot which makes it difficult for any team he faces, when you have quick guys like him running around it makes it tough for any team because they become difficult to contain.”
And it would seem the 13st 8lb Wade is already making steps towards becoming the all-rounder Rokocoko describes – with a try-saving tackle on 21-stone prop Tony Buckley in the closing stages of Wasps’ win over Sale last weekend.
The wing has yet to receive a full England cap but his Premiership form this season has increased the calls for him to be handed the chance.
Rokocoko believes Wade will be in good company when he does break into Stuart Lancaster‘s plans, having been taken aback by England’s 38-21 victory over the All Blacks at Twickenham earlier this month.
“That’s the best England performance I can remember in a long, long time,” he added.
“Despite all this talk about the All Blacks being fatigued and so forth I don’t think that was an excuse at all.
“England are definitely a team to watch in the next few years. They’ve got three years until the World Cup to keep on growing as a team and they are on the right tracks for sure.
“It’s all about how they respond to the next couple of years but if they build on this they will definitely go a long way.”
NATE SAUNDERS
