Big players need a big stage, and Christian Wade believes he and Wasps have finally found the perfect arena to showcase their talents.

The High Wycombe born speed merchant had played the entirety of his blossoming career in professional rugby at Adams Park until the club announced they were making Coventry’s Ricoh Arena their permanent home in October.

But, far from feeling outside of his comfort zone, the 23-year-old has relished the move to the 32,000 seater stadium and is enjoying being able to show off his skills to a bigger audience.

“Wasps have been my only team and to finally have a place that we can call home, where we have regular crowds of around 15,000 coming to watch us, is just amazing,” he said.

“It’s only going to get better for us when we move up there and start to engage with the community even more and they see us in the area.

“The Ricoh’s been a massive revelation for us and it seems to be bringing out better performances from the boys, and hopefully that will continue and it will become a fortress for us.”

Attendances for Wasps’ first five matches in the midlands have so far dwarfed those in Buckinghamshire, with 15,343 people turning up to see a Premiership game against Sale last month compared to the 5,502 who were in attendance for the corresponding fixture at Adams Park the previous season.

Wade, who missed the black and gold’s curtain call in High Wycombe through injury, admits he had reservations about the decision to move initially, but now believes it is the best place for the club to be.

He said: “For me it was a bit of a shock. Being a London based team playing in Wycombe was a bit weird anyway, and then moving to Coventry seems strange.

“But that was without knowing the facts and now that we know the facts it’s clear that it’s a very good move for us.

“Once everyone has the facts and the correct knowledge, they can see that it’s the best thing for Wasps going forward and it’s working very well. It’s great to see the support of people from Buckinghamshire to who still make the effort to come up there.”

The move has seemingly galvanised Dai Young and his squad, who have forced their way into the top four in the Premiership as well as securing a place in the Champions Cup quarter-finals since their move to the Ricoh in December.

A change of scenery also seems to be benefitting Wade, with the former RGS pupil believing he is getting back to his best after a lengthy time on the sidelines during 2014.

He said: “I feel like I’ve got into a groove now where I feel comfortable and more relaxed out on the pitch. I’m starting to show the stuff that I can do in attack and I feel like the way I’m playing now is a bit different to how I was before.

“I feel like I’m reading the game better now, my defence has come on and now, for me, it’s continuing to work and not being satisfied with where I’m at now. I want to improve in every training session and game I play.”