Tigers centre ready to upset his old team-mates ...and his family
MATHEW Tait aims to put a large dent in Newcastle’s scintillating start to the season but would still love to see them finish in a top six Premiership spot.
Six wins from their opening eight domestic and European fixtures have made Newcastle’s rugby men the talk of the town for once rather than their footballing counterparts.
Old Tigers hero Dean Richards will be hoping his in-form Falcons can improve on their impressive fourth place in the table with victory over Leicester having shot to the top of their Challenge Cup pool with two confident and impressive victories.
However, while Tait, 31, would love nothing more than to see the club where he cut his rugby teeth continue their early flight of fantasy until the very end of season, he will not let sentimentality soften his desire to boost Leicester’s own title aspirations.
The utility back, who lines up against brother Alex and old friend and former Newcastle and England team-mate Toby Flood, insists: “It’s always special going back to my first club with my parents still up there and my brother playing for them.
“Mum and dad will have their Newcastle hats on, and will be supporting Falcons. But as long as I play well and come through unscathed they will be happy.
“Newcastle are playing some really good stuff this season and whenever you play them you know you are in for a real tough time. They’ve always had a very abrasive pack but have some very decent backs, too. They are also scoring tries and winning games, the tight games.
“It’s certainly going to be one hell of a battle for us up there but we have got some momentum behind us after a poor start and are getting to where we want to be in terms of playing style and performance.
“We played so well in pre-season perhaps we were a little too over confident and certainly soon discovered things can quickly go wrong. The frustrating result was the Bath one because we’d played really well in preseason. Perhaps we were too confident going into the game and it was a rude wake-up call for us. We were never at the races at Northampton but since then we could have won every game, even in Paris. “But it’s a long season and throughout my seven years here it’s always been right down to the final three or four games to secure that top four spot. “It’s important we keep up this form and momentum both domestically and in Europe. We would love to win one of the big trophies this season because this club needs success.”
Tigers will arrive at Kingston Park well and truly with a spring in their step after shrugging off two opening defeats to the new season by winning five of their following six games. The only loss in that spell was a four-point reverse at Racing 92.
Head coach Matt O’Connor has found the right recipe to get the best out of a team which is desperate again to pick up one of the major trophies after being in the shadows of Saracens for so long, and having seen the emergence of Exeter Chiefs as a regular force show no signs of abating.
Tait admits: “Every season we start with very high expectations and belief that we can get our hands on the Premiership title or succeed in Europe. That expectation has not changed at all. We just have to make sure we produce the performance on the field that can get those rewards come May.
“The confidence and atmosphere with the squad is excellent. It is probably the strongest squad of players we have had for a few years. When you look at the bench we can put out now it proves just how fiercely competitive it is now for a starting place.
“If we can carry on the improvements we have made in recent weeks after that slow start the there’s no reason why we cannot be in the big matches at the end of the season.”