Tait challenges Falcons to deliver

Newcastle first team coach Alan Tait has challenged his players to turn words into deeds on Saturday, as the Falcons look to regain their place in the top half of the Guinness Premiership table against London Irish.

The Exiles travel to Kingston Park for a 5.30pm kick-off, with Tait insisting that a victory is the absolute minimum requirement for his side to fulfil its top six ambitions.

“The players are talking the talk at the moment about finishing in the top half of the league, but now’s the time to see if they can back it up with their actions,” said the dual-code Scotland and Lions star.

“We can all sit here and say we’re going to finish in a Heineken Cup place, but if you don’t go out and win games then it’s just words.

“If the players are going to talk big about things like the top six then they need to bring in at least four points this weekend, it’s as simple as that.”

Having slipped out of the top half last weekend by virtue of their 25-13 defeat at Northampton, Tait said: “At the time I said to the guys that it was great to see them involved in such a big game and running a class team like Northampton so close.

“But as the days have gone by and we’ve watched the video back countless times, we’re actually disappointed that we didn’t win.

“I said earlier in the season when they did a bit of a job on us up here that Northampton were the best team we’ve seen all season, and they confirmed that opinion to me again on Saturday. They have an outstanding side with talent in every area, so it was good for our lads to be in the mix and test themselves against that quality of opposition.

“The senior players were saying in the changing room after the final whistle that the Northampton game was every bit as an intense as a Test match, and that’s what you want, to be tested to the absolute max.”

Rueing a couple of key errors, Tait added: “We were right in the game, we pushed them all the way but we gave away a couple of soft tries which cost us dear.

“The killer was really the one before half time, because at 10-10 on 39 minutes we were in with a great shout. Conceding with the last play of the half meant we were chasing the game, but it’s gone now and we just have to focus on improving.

“I thought we were worth a bonus point, but Phil Dowson did his utmost right at the end by diving in and killing a ruck under his own posts. Quick ball is the key now to playing rugby, and if we’re not going to stamp that kind of thing out with yellow cards then teams are just going to keep doing it. He dived right over the top and slowed it down, he should have got ten minutes but we’re not crying about it. We’ll just go back to the training field, work hard during the week and continue to improve.”

Having been a visible and audible presence in the stands at Franklin’s Gardens barking out instructions, Tait joked: “I’m definitely one of these coaches that gets involved in the game.

“Over the years I’ve tried chewing gum to keep me quiet and calm, but I just can’t do it. It’s not worth changing who you are, and I’ve always been like that. I jump up and down a fair bit, I shout things onto the pitch even though I know they probably can’t hear me, but I just love the game.

“As a coach you always want to empower your players to make decisions themselves based on what they see and experience out on the field of play, but sometimes with the wider view from the stands you pick up little tactical things or whatever that the players might not be able to see from down there in a heap of bodies.”

With left wing Charlie Amesbury among those taking heed of Tait’s words, the Scot said: “Charlie’s ears are probably tuned into my frequency, because the wingers are always closest to the stands and they tend to get the brunt of it.

“In fairness to Charlie he is someone I’m working really closely with, because I want to try and get him to that next level as a player. I’m trying to teach him ways of making the step up, and credit to the lad because he’s a great learner and he’s taking the advice on board.

“He was desperate to play against Chris Ashton on the weekend, because he’s in the England squad and he’s the top try scorer in the Guinness Premiership.

“Charlie thinks he’s as good as Ashton, but the tale I was always told as a youngster was that you watch your opposite number and compare notes after the game. When your man comes out with two tries and you don’t have any that tells you who came out top on that day, but Charlie’s a good kid and he’ll keep learning.”

Turning the focus towards Saturday’s opponents, Tait said: “I watched the London Irish v Bath game on TV on Sunday, and it’s making this part of the Guinness Premiership into an exciting one with a group of teams bunched up on similar numbers of points.

“Sides like Gloucester and Bath seem to be finding that extra bit of form, and judging by a few recent results London Irish seem to be struggling a little.

“Toby Booth will be flying into them this week though, they’ve got class players and I’m sure they’ll be coming out all guns blazing up here on Saturday. They’re a very physical side, we would expect them to have Paul Hodgson and Steffon Armitage back from England duty and we know it’s going to be a big challenge.

“We had a good win down there earlier in the season, we’ve watched them on tape and believe we have a few areas where we can attack. It’s all about accuracy, we have to be absolutely precise and if we achieve that then I’m confident we can get the job done.”

Tickets for Saturday’s game (kick-off 5.30pm) are available by calling 0871 226 60 60, via the official club website or from Kingston Park in person.