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Christian Wade cut by Buffalo Bills

(Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

Former England international Christian Wade has been cut by the Buffalo Bills – denting his fledgling hopes in his new sport.

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Wade – who switched to the NFL last year – was among 31 players that that failed to make the final Buffalo Bills roster, despite having scored a touchdown with his first competitive touch of an American football.

Wade has a roster exemption so the NFL franchise can keep him on their practice squad for a full year, potentially giving the 28-year-old a further year to learn his trade.

The cut comes despite highlight reel displays in his new sport. A 65-yard touchdown in his first game and a 47-metre mazy run in his second game caught the attention of American media, and many pundits tipped the former Wasps winger as having a real chance of making the Bills roster despite his lack of experience in the game.

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His final pre-season running back audition against the Vikings was more workmanlike than his previous two outings.

Wade was also the second-fastest NFL player clocked on the first weekend of pre-season games, reaching a speed of 21.01 mph (33.8km) according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

“He real fast,” running back teammate Frank Gore told Buffalonews.com. “Real fast.”

As part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program, four teams carried an additional overseas player on their practice squads for the 2019 season.

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As well as Wade, Australian NRL player Valentine Holmes, joined the New York Jets. Holmes has also been cut.

This week on the Bill Ellis Podcast: McOnie, Mils, & Bates take a deep dive into the All Blacks‘ RWC squad and how it shapes up against their biggest rivals. Plus we’re into round 4 of the Mitre 10 Cup where a host of mouthwatering clashes await.

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Flankly 43 minutes ago
Maro Itoje: What was said as Lions fell 'far behind' on scoreboard

This is what dreams are made of

Umm. Credit to a winning team, but to be clear … the team you beat is ranked 6th in the world, did not make it out of the pool stage of the last RWC, and came last in the 2024 Rugby Championship. Not sure any bookie has them as favorites for the 2025 RC either.


Australia have made progress for sure, and of course that matters. But for a team made up of 4 leading rugby nations, including two that are ranked much higher than this opposition, a win is expected and a loss would be humiliating. Furthermore, with weeks of playing together, planning together and living together it is hard to argue that the Lions have had less opportunity for cohesion than Australia.


A win is a win, and no-one should question that. But a last-minute one-score win that depended on a 50/50 penalty call is one to humbly accept, rather than to crow about. It was neither a beating, nor even a compelling win. I thought win was not undeserved, but it’s a close call on which was the better team on the day.


And let’s get off this nonsense about it being like a world cup final. The local pub teams may feel that their big game is like a world cup final, but it’s stupid to pretend it is the reality. The RWC final is played by two of the top teams in the world, and there is no evidence that either of these teams fits that description. There is a game in Eden Park later this year between the #1 and #2 ranked teams that would be a lot closer to it, of course.


Well done to the Lions, and congrats to the Wallabies. Let’s enjoy a good game for what it was, without pretending it was something bigger than it was.

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