Northern | US

The Stephen Jones order for Newcastle Red Bulls regarding Christian Wade


Newcastle wing Christian Wade looks for a way to the try line during the Gallagher PREM match between Newcastle Red Bulls and Exeter Chiefs at Kingston Park Stadium on March 27, 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Comments
Comment

Stephen Jones has ordered his Newcastle Red Bulls side to get the ball wide to former England flyer Christian Wade if they want to start winning matches this season.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ex-Wasps, Racing 92 and Gloucester star Wade scored his 94th PREM try in last weekend’s defeat to Exeter Chiefs to move to within seven of Chris Ashton’s league record of 101 tries.

The sensational dance down the sideline before cutting in was his first in the league since he returned from Super League Wigan Warriors, and his third for the club after touching down in the Challenge Cup against Perpignan and the Dragons.

VIDEO

Getting the ball to Wade, 34, could be key to any success when La Rochelle visit the North-East in their round of 16 clash on Saturday evening, according to Red Bulls head coach Jones.

“It was a special moment. I think we all agreed he had no right to score that try, and his finish was world-class. That was the main moment for us in the first half, where, you know, it’s pretty much four defenders he beats the score that try.

“It’s our responsibility when we play, not just have ball movement in our game, but be able to get the ball to our best running threats, our best ball carriers at certain times, so that they can have the ability to work defences.

“It’s not just, obviously, getting them the ball, and they’ve got no time and space. You know, we’ve got a duty to create that time and space for someone like Wady. We’d love to create for all our back three players.

ADVERTISEMENT

“If we can free them and get the ball to them early, and just let them show what talents they’ve got. We can back them up, and we can play some front-foot rugby,” said Jones.

Jones says his side needs to learn the lessons from the defeats they have suffered under his leadership at the hands of the Northampton Saints and the Chiefs.

“We have to make sure we take those learnings on board quickly because I know when we get our house in order and are accurate, we are very, very good.

“It’s our challenge to constantly deliver that for 80 minutes, not just for one half or patches of a game during the course of 80 minutes,” he added.

ADVERTISEMENT

Stream Nations Championship 2026 LIVE

Hemispheres collide in the new Nations Championship. Stream live, replays and highlights free on RugbyPass TV.

Watch on RPTV
Starts 4th July 2026 - USA only.
ADVERTISEMENT
Play Video
LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Long Reads

Comments on RugbyPass

N
NoLongerARuck 1 hour ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

36 Go to comments
Close Panel
Close Panel

Edition & Time Zone

{{current.name}}
Set time zone automatically
{{selectedTimezoneTitle}} (auto)
Choose a different time zone
Close Panel

Editions

Close Panel

Change Time Zone

Copied to clipboard

Share Article close