"I would do stuff on the field and people would still say 'yeah but he's too small, he can't do this or that'. Then I'd just go out there and do it. Then they don't really have a leg to stand on.
"I was 15 or 16 doing the county stuff and England Under-16 stuff. By the time I was 18 and still handling myself and scoring tries it began to die down. I'm not sure what the chat is these days."
The "chat" these days, is that Wade is a serious prospect, potentially capable of breaking the all-too familiar mould that has churned out a high number of outstanding physical specimens in recent years, who lack instinctiveness and innate footballing skill.
"If I'm beating players one-on-one, whether it's by going around them or stepping them, it's just the same as a big guy running over someone," said Wade. "You still get the job done."
Wade, 20, made his first-team debut at the tail end of last season and has had a steady run in the side this term. Six tries in six Premiership games, including a hat-trick in the win over Leicester, has highlighted the same ability to pick defences apart that was on show at the IRB Junior World Cup last season, when he was the tournament's top try scorer.
"Just about the whole squad from that World Cup are playing in the Premiership now," Wade said. "There's a pretty strong bunch of young guys coming into the Premiership.
"We've all played together and know each other well. We're a good set of lads trying to live the dream. We're trying to make it into the England set-up and then move on from there."
The full England set-up may be some way off but with changes certain for the Six Nations and a World Cup in four years to think about, it is far from impossible Wade could be fast-tracked sooner rather than later.
"Christian's been excellent," said Wasps director of rugby Dai Young. "He's got that rare commodity of getting people on the edge of their seats when he gets the ball.
"He's not going to run over many people is he? But he can beat people and it doesn't matter how you do that. He's not far off the first name on the team-sheet at the minute."
England hooker Steve Thompson makes his Wasps debut at Sixways tonight while Joe Simpson starts at scrum-half after a frustrating World Cup and Riki Flutey returns at inside centre.
