Former rugby star Christian Wade signs with NFL

Christian Wade of Wasps scores a try. Photo /Getty

Former England and British and Irish Lions wing Christian Wade has signed for NFL side the Buffalo Bills.

The 27-year-old quit Wasps and retired from rugby union last year to pursue a career in American Football and has been training in Florida since last December with the IMG Academy.

Wade scored 82 tries in 132 matches, ranking him third highest in Premiership history, but he only managed one test cap for one England and one mid-week outing with the Lions before falling out of favour.

Wade was identified as one of four players to be allocated to an AFC East club this year as part of the NFL's 2019 International Player Pathway Program.

Instituted in 2017, the program aims to provide elite international athletes the opportunity to compete at NFL level, improve their skills, and ultimately earn a spot on an NFL roster.

The league identified seven top athletes from five countries last December who competed for the four placements in the 2019 program.

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I’m lost for word right now... I’ll update the caption soon. Give God thanks! 🙌🏿🙌🏿

A post shared by Christian Wade (@christianwade3) on Apr 8, 2019 at 7:38am PDT

Athletes from Australia, Brazil, Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom included two professional rugby players, Wade and former Sharks finisher Valentine Holmes, who are attempting to cross over to the NFL.

Wade played rugby since his mid-teens and has represented England at the under 16, 18 and 20 levels. He is a projected running back, as most of his success in rugby came with ball in hand.

The Bills and the other three AFC East clubs each get a roster exemption from the NFL, allowing them to carry 91 players on their roster instead of the typical 90-player offseason roster.

Wade follows in the footsteps of the likes of Parramatta Eels playmaker Jarryd Hayne who played eight matches for the San Francisco 49ers in 2015 before his return the NRL.