Am I simply too nice?
Tait opens up on what it takes to reach the top
‘Perhaps I should have pushed myself forward more’
Tomorrow morning, Mathew Tait, will rise around 8am at home in the small Northamptonshire village of Sibbertoft to take his two sons, Elian (two) and Zander (four), to a Rugby Tots session in nearby Lower Bowden. It is an early immersion into the sport much in keeping with his own experience as one of the most precocious talents of the past couple of decades.
Tait will be on duty later in the more exacting surroundings of Welford Road as Leicester strain every sinew in a bid to overcome Munster and salvage their Champions Cup campaign.
Tait will be fiercely and passionately committed to that cause even if, at the age of 31, he still carries with him the air of a choirboy on his way to evensong. Tait ought to be one of the most celebrated figures in the English game, capped at the age of 18 and the man whose slicing break through the Springboks defence in the 2007 Rugby World Cup final almost led to England retaining the Webb Ellis Trophy. But that was not to be, nor was Tait to enjoy the success and acclaim of another one-time Newcastle Falcons product, Jonny Wilkinson, the only player along with Sale flanker Tom Curry to have represented England at a younger age.
Injury problems are one reason why not. But so, too, is a lack of nerve in various coaches (Andy Robinson dumped Tait after that Gavin Henson baptism of fire against Wales at the Millennium Stadium in 2005) as well as a significant measure of Tait’s own culpability. He had the skill, a wonderful arcing break as an outside centre that mirrors those of an Elliot Daly or Jonathan Joseph, but did he have the necessary raging-in-your-face zeal? Ah, the body-language question. Tait has grown used to that one.
“I’ve always had that thrown at me,” says Tait, who won the last of his 38 caps as far back as 2010. “Yeah, that was in my control and I guess I could have done more about it. But it’s not me. I have as much desire as anyone. I work as hard as anyone. I still want to improve my game. I’ve been beating myself up about any mistake I make since I was 17. Am I simply too nice? Probably. Maybe that is what differentiates the good from the world class, an element of selfishness. Instead, perception became reality and that’s that.”
Tait gave up on worrying about adding to those caps long ago and has invested all his energies into helping Leicester thrive. But there is a restless spirit within him that has never been sated with rugby alone. He began a biomedical degree when he was at Newcastle, one that is still on hold. He also holds a pilot’s licence, although that, too, is on ice following the birth of his children.
“The Flying Fund turned into the Nursery Fees Fund,” says Tait ruefully, looking out at the clear winter skies outside Tigers’ training base in Oadby. “Today would be perfect, seeing the countryside at its finest.”
Like fellow former Barnard Castle School alumni, the Underwood brothers, Rory and Tony, Tait has had notions of flying professionally. Instead, that inquiring mind has turned to a two-year master’s degree course in sports directorship at Salford University, studying at distance for the most part. Tait is out of contract at the end of the season and would like to carry on. “His core skills across the range are terrific,” says Matt O’connor, the Leicester director of rugby. “As a kid, he made quite an impact on the global scene. Perhaps he was a bit unlucky in that era when every Test team seemed to want a big ’un to bludgeon across the gain line. We signed him as a full-back to replace Geordan Murphy. What Matty needs to continue to show is consistency. But his versatility offers value.”
The jack-of-all-trades comment is barely formed on the lips when Tait completes the sentence “but master of none”, with a smile. Self-deprecation is an admirable trait, even if there is a line of argument that says Tait might have been advised to settle on one position, outside centre, and press his case accordingly. Tait lines up as full-back against Munster tomorrow, stepping in for Telusa Veainu. “Maybe I have fitted into everyone else’s plans to the detriment of my own personal ambition,” says Tait. “Perhaps I should have pushed myself forward more.” Certainly, there is a bit of an unfulfilled sense there. Every kid wants to play for England and then the Lions. I won my last cap aged 24 so, yes, it has been frustrating but that is down to me. I wasn’t good enough to make it happen. All my efforts for a long while have been directed towards Leicester. This is a special place. Expectations are high. That’s why Sunday is so important. Our European future is on the line.” And Tait will be fighting as furiously as any to secure it.