Wade rolls back the years with hat-trick

CHRISTIAN Wade rolled back the years with a hat-trick of tries as Gloucester won a bizarre thriller for a first victory at Ashton Gate after six consecutive defeats.

- ROGER PANTING

After six years away, Wade is back in the Premiership and took his tally to 85 tries, 16 behind the leader Chris Ashton.

But it could have easily gone horribly wrong for Gloucester as Wade’s yellow card was the catalyst for them doing their best to surrender a 19-point lead with only 16 minutes remaining.

Gloucester head coach George Skivington said: “Christian has magical feet and he can easily find spaces. He has a swagger but takes the game very seriously and has brought a level of professionalism to us.”

Gloucester’s last away appearance in the Premiership was a 90-0 defeat at Northampton so their fervent supporters were given something to cheer with a deserved victory over their keenest rivals.