Newcastle Red Bulls receive timely boost with knockout clash looming

Newcastle Red Bulls could get a boost for the visit of play-off chasing Exeter Chiefs on Friday night with former England winger Christian Wade back in full training.

Wade, who recently signed on for another season with the Red Bulls, has scored two tries in five games after arriving at Kingston Park from Super League outfit Wigan Warriors.

The former Wasps, Racing 92 and Gloucester man, who had a spell in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, hasn’t played since the January 30 defeat against Saracens because of an ankle injury that has taken longer than expected to recover from.

But he is now set to return to action to chase down the nine tries he needs to break Chris Ashton’s PREM try-scoring record to give the Reds the massive shot in the arm they need to secure only their second league win of the season.

And he will improve an area that new interim head coach Stephen Jones says cost them an unlikely win against top-of-the-table Northampton Saints last weekend, when they scored four tries, but others went begging in the 28-27 defeat.

Fixture

Gallagher Premiership

Newcastle

14 - 38

Full-time

Exeter Chiefs

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“We are close to getting a few players back. Obviously, the medical team have been fantastic and working hard with our group to make sure us coaches have as many players availability to us as we can.

“Wadey is training well, which is nice. He has got a fantastic record, hasn’t he? So he knows his way to the finish line, that’s for sure. His ability to beat the defender is first class and, you know, we love that in him.

“We had opportunities to score tries at Northampton but didn’t take them. So that’s been our learning this week, and we focused on the great work that we’re doing to create those opportunities, but ultimately, we want to be clinical, and that’s been a focus from us from a team perspective,” said Jones.

Following the meeting with Exeter, Newcastle host double Investec Champions Cup winners La Rochelle in the Challenge Cup.