NEW Wigan Warriors signing Christian Wide has hit out at rugby union and the lack of progress in the Premiership following his move to Super League.
Wade, a former England international, will make the sensational move following the end of the Premiership season with his current club Gloucester.
It will be a third sport for the 33-year-old, who has also previously tried his hand at American football with Buffalo Bills.
But, Wade has revealed that he turned down rugby union club offers due to the difficulties in contracts.
“There were some opportunities but the lay of the land in the Premiership has changed quite a lot, especially since I left in 2018,” he told the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast.
“I think there are quite a few people in my position with my sort of age and experience where, unless you’ve been at a club your whole career, there are some difficulties around extending contracts and stuff like that.
“Since Covid, the salary cap has been lowered but also [finances] in general. I think that’s why you see people exploring opportunities outside the Premiership.”
Wade spent eight years with Wasps in the 15-man code as well as French side Racing 92, but he feels union hasn’t progressed that much since his early days.
“I don’t think there’s too much of a difference, which I don’t know is a good or a bad thing. Because being away [from the Premiership] for seven years, you would like to see the game progress on a bit more,” he said.
“It seems as though there are fewer international stars for one. When I was at Wasps, we had a lot of people from different parts of the world.
“A lot of young guys were coming through and as you can see now, they’re spread around the league. But it’s a good thing as well to see some homegrown talent and rugby being played.
“I would have liked to have seen the game progress a lot more in the span of almost a decade.”
