'Unreal': Rugby union star scores 65-yard TD with first touch in NFL

Forget Valentine Holmes, there’s a different former rugby player taking the NFL by storm.

Holmes made his debut for the New York Jets in a pre-season game against the Giants on Thursday, but he was completely overshadowed by Christian Wade.

Wade, a former rugby union star who played two Test matches for England, also made his debut for the Buffalo Bills against the Indianapolis Colts at the same time.

And with his very first touch in an NFL game, Wade scored an incredible 65-yard touchdown.

Lining up at running back, Wade took the ball straight up the middle and didn’t look back.

Showing the trademark speed that made him a star in rugby union, Wade burned multiple Colts defenders to take it to the house.

The remarkable moment sent the NFL world into meltdown.

Wade shocked the rugby union world when he unexpectedly quit the sport last year in pursuit of his American Football dream.

The former Wasps and England winger joined the NFL through the International Player Pathway Program, which allows four teams every year to carry 91 players on their roster through the off-season, including one from abroad, rather than the usual 90.

Wade, who was called up to the British and Irish Lions squad in 2013, signed a contract with Buffalo in April and is fighting to make the Bills' 53-man regular-season roster as a running back and kick returner.

Wade has fine credentials as the third-highest try scorer in English Premiership rugby's history.

He believes there are enough similarities between his two sports to make the transition possible.

"The evasive skills, being able to read where space is and gaps. Footwork wise, that is kind of like the way I used to play," he said previously.

"You can use that definitely. And just the normal hand-eye coordination when you are running routes.

"When the ball is coming at you, being able to position yourself in the correct way. There are some transferrable skills there."

Holmes impresses in limited minutes

Holmes impressed in his own NFL debut, showing glimpses of the soft hands and speed that made him one of the NRL's lethal weapons.

Holmes was anchored on the sideline for the first three quarters on Thursday, but made the most of his opportunities in the final period.

As a running back, he made a gain of two yards on his first play and on his second carry was stopped for a loss of one yard.

Then on back-to-back plays caught two passes from quarterback Luke Falk in the open field to show his speed.

Holmes made a gain of 14 yards from his first catch before getting crunched by Giants' safety Kenny Ladler.

Holmes shook it off and caught another pass from Falk for an 11-yard gain.

The former Cronulla, Queensland and Australian backline speedster then looked like he might get a touchdown when he caught a pass for a five-yard gain just six yards from the end zone.

Holmes finished with three receptions for 30 yards and three carries for six yards as the Giants won 31-22.

The Jets' fourth-year Australian punter Lachlan Edwards was solid with three punts for an average of 52.3 yards and a long of 67.

Edwards is locked in a battle with California-born Matt Darr for the Jets' punting job this season.

Darr had two punts for an average of 43.5 yards and a long of 53.

with agencies