Tait Revelling in First Team Role

Tait Revelling In First Team Role

Newcastle Falcons star Mathew Tait makes his fifth Zurich Premiership start of the season at the Madejski Stadium on Sunday when his side face London Irish, with the 18-year-old loving every minute of life as a professional after his meteoric rise.

It was against London Irish last spring that Tait burst on to the scene with a spectacular try on his first team debut at Kingston Park, and he starts this weekend on the left wing following a dead leg which keeps Michael Stephenson on the bench.

“Other people’s misfortune through injuries has meant that I’ve had quite a few games this season already, and hopefully I’ve done alright when I’ve come into the team,” said Tait, who has scored tries in all but one of the four home games he has played in this season.

Having left Barnard Castle School with top grades in his A-Levels in the summer, Tait has been thrown straight into the limelight with a string of outstanding performances, and he said of his time so far as a professional: “I’m enjoying it, which is the important thing.

“It’s fantastic. I’m getting used to the training every day now, but I’m still tired a lot, so my body is adapting to that. It’s everything I thought it would be, and the lads round the club are fantastic, so I’m just getting on and enjoying it.

“I’m continuing to work on my skills, and I feel comfortable with that side of things, but I’m just getting used to having massive people running at me all the time, which is part and parcel of professional rugby.

“It was a little surreal at first, but now I’m settling in, and it’s a privilege to be in the same team as class guys like Matt Burke, Colin Charvis and all the other great players we have here. Burkey has been a huge help. He’s always talking to me in training and in games, and we have a laugh as well, so it’s going great.”

With versatility a great asset of Tait’s, having played both on the wing and at outside centre this season, he said: “If given the choice I would probably prefer to play at centre, but to be honest I’m happy enough to play wherever, and I’ll go in whichever position Rob chooses to have me in.”

Having lived in the Weardale town of Woolsingham, Tait has now relocated to Newcastle city centre, where he shares a flat with Geoff Parling in the shadow of the St James’s Park football stadium.

And he could well be travelling further afield in the coming weeks with the England Sevens squad, having been named in the England training squad for the IRB events in Dubai and South Africa.

“I’m away on Monday and Tuesday with the Sevens squad at Chelsea’s training ground in Heathrow, and it would be fantastic if I was selected for Dubai and South Africa next month.

“I played Sevens with Barnard Castle School and we got to the final of the Rosslyn Park Sevens, and then last year I played in the Middlesex and the Henley Sevens, but apart from that I’ll be learning all the time about the game from people like Phil Dowson at the Falcons, who has been away with England and given me a few pointers. It’s a good standard, and you get to travel the world, so I’m delighted to be involved.”

Having been included in the RFU senior national academy squad this season, Tait said of the path ahead: “I haven’t set any specific targets as such, but obviously getting a regular start for the first team is something I’m aiming for, and in the long term most players will say the same thing, that they want to play for England, and I’m no different in that respect.”

But refusing to get ahead of himself, the youngster is focusing all his attention on the immediate task of Sunday’s Zurich Premiership trip to the Madejski Stadium.

“London Irish have some good players, and Scott Staniforth has done well for them recently, but the approach on Sunday will be not to worry about them too much because we have to focus on our own game,” he said.