Former London Wasps rugby player and High Wycombe native Christian Wade has joined NFL side Buffalo Bills, having quit rugby union in October 2018 to pursue a career in America.

Wade was born in Slough and raised in High Wycombe, attending the Royal Grammar School where his love of rugby originally started.

Christian Wade went on to play professionally for the Wasps, scoring 82 tries in the Premiership and becoming the third highest try scorer in the competition’s history.

Wade joined the NFL’s International Pathway Program, which is designed to offer players from outside the USA a path into the sport.

Initially it was expected that he would be included in the NFL’s annual Draft, but it was announced that he had signed with the Bills, who finished with a 6-10 record last season.

Wade, who has been identified as a running back by the Bills, said: "With the recent news I'm completely lost for words. Every week that has gone by has exceeded my expectations.

"I didn't really know what to expect from the process and have tried to stay open to all possibilities. I've tried to take every moment as it comes and hit it hard. I've put a post on Instagram but couldn't come up with a caption for it.

"I've had a lot of messages from close friends and family but I'm still trying to get my head around it.

"For me this is another step closer to my dream and what I set out to achieve from the start.

"It's making me emotional thinking about the risk I took and the magnitude of the move. This has made that even more apparent. Every time I think about, I start to well up."

Wade follows in the footsteps of fellow Royal Grammar School alumnus Christian Scotland-Williamson, the former Worcester Warriors forward, who was allocated to the Pittsburgh Steelers last year as a tight end.