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.

Newcastle first team coach Alan Tait

Newcastle first team coach Alan Tait has called on the Falcons to use last weekend’s win at Bath as the springboard for their season, as Worcester Warriors are the Guinness Premiership visitors to Kingston Park on Sunday (kick-off 3pm).

Looking for his side to continue their ascent up the league table following their 27-16 triumph at The Rec with a fourth successive bonus point victory, Tait said: “We’d like to think we’ve turned the corner, but we always knew it was going to take time with so many players joining the club over the summer.

“If I’m totally honest I thought it would be after Christmas before the players got properly in-synch with one another, so I’m delighted that it has started to happen before then.”

Highlighting a renewed optimism around Kingston Park, the dual-code Lions and Scotland star said: “You can see going round the ground today that the boys have the smile back on their faces, their chests are puffed out just that little bit extra and it’s a good place to be again.

“The best thing is that they know it’s just a starting point, all we’ve done is reach base camp at the moment and we have another massive game this Sunday against Worcester to really get the season properly up and running. We’re not dwelling on it though, it’s done now and the focus moves entirely onto the next game.

“Last year we drew against them up here when we felt we should have won, so you could say there’s a bit of unfinished business. Worcester are a dogged side though, they will make it difficult for us but we really believe in our system and our ability to score tries. They will be coming here desperate to upset our run, so we’ve got to turn up and perform again.

“They got a losing bonus point recently at Leicester and last weekend against Harlequins, so we know they’re a difficult team to shake off. They will be very dogged, they make it hard to score and we also have to be wary about kicking the ball downfield when they have class like Chris Latham to fire it back with interest.

“The key to the whole thing is trying to break their spirit up front. That’s what has been pleasing for me in the past two games, the fact that our forwards have really taken that challenge on after Steve Bates had some pretty blunt words following the Padova game. They were second best in Italy, but they’ve taken it on the chin like men and really fronted up. They’ll need to do the same on Sunday, because this Worcester pack are a very physical lot and will make us fight for every single millimetre.”

With their recent European sojourn breathing added life into the Falcons’ campaign, Tait said: “The Challenge Cup has given us a bit of space, and although we didn’t really perform against Petrarca Padova in the opening match, we battled well and got the bonus point we needed.

“Even despite the performance that was still an important result for us, and then we really put Albi to the sword the following week. We kicked that on last weekend down at Bath, and hopefully against Worcester this Sunday we can put together the good bits from those games in what we know is a big match for us.”

Buoyed by the upturn in results, he added: “Confidence is such a massive factor in sport, and it drives coaches mad at times trying to discover how you can inject it into your players.

“Sometimes it can just be the bounce of a ball or a big hit at the right moment, and something like Micky Young’s interception try down at Bath you could see visibly lifting the entire team. Don’t get me wrong, he still had to sprint 80 metres to score it, but it’s moments like that which can just flick the switch and get everyone really firing as a team.”

With his side leaping five places by virtue of their last outing, Tait said: “I’d like the season to finish now, to be honest, because at sixth place we’d likely be in the Heineken Cup!

“No, but joking aside we always knew it was going to take time, and nobody is saying we’re the finished article just yet. We’ve implemented massive changes over the summer both in the playing squad and behind the scenes with our conditioning, there are a lot of new things in place and we’re building all the time.

“The structure of our whole club, our academy and everything is being readdressed, and I can only see good things in the future for Newcastle Falcons.

“Hopefully the fans can see it too, because at the end of the day it’s all about them.

“Our supporters were absolutely tremendous on Saturday in travelling all that way to Bath, the players appreciate it massively and it was good to be able to enjoy the celebrations on the final whistle with them last weekend. Ever since that result I’ve had people coming up to me in and around town saying ‘well done last weekend, we’ll be there on Sunday cheering you on’, which is just what you want to hear.

“That’s the spirit we want, it creates a buzz around the place and really gets the players going. It’s no secret that we need to grow our crowds, and if the North-East public get right behind these lads then we believe we could have something special here for years to come. It’s absolutely vital for North-East rugby that there’s a strong Newcastle Falcons team in the Guinness Premiership, and hopefully everyone in the region can really buy into that and support us in numbers.”

With much attention in rugby circles switching to the Test arena over the coming weeks, Tait said: “We don’t lose many players during the international window and, whilst I probably shouldn’t say this with my Newcastle hat on, it’s something that disappoints me immensely because I believe we have a number of players here who are capable of stepping up to that level.

“Jon Golding, for me, is someone who can count himself extremely unlucky to have missed out, but I’m positive his time will come. If he keeps playing as he has been doing then the selectors simply can’t keep ignoring him, so he just has to be patient and believe in what he’s doing.

“In the next level below that we have a lot of guys who should be involved with the Saxons, and it’s kind of beyond me a little bit as to what more these boys need to do to get selected. Someone like Tim Swinson is really hammering on that door, and I really don’t know what more Danny Williams can do with the way he performs week in, week out.

“I said to Rob Vickerman this morning ‘did you get the call from England then?’, but I think he thought I was joking. I can assure you I wasn’t, and he is someone who should be right on their radar for Saxons recognition at the very least. I coached Jamie Noon last year, who is a very good player and someone I really rate, but for me Vicks is right up with him and has just shaded it with the way he breaks the line and gets you going forward. People like Tom Biggs and Charlie Amesbury, they should be aiming for at least the Saxons this summer, and it would be nice to get a bit of recognition for what we’re doing up here.

“Maybe I should just keep quiet because it’s beneficial to the Falcons to have these guys around with us during the international window, but as someone who has played Test rugby myself I know that there’s no greater honour than representing your country. To stand there and sing the national anthem with the badge on your chest, that’s what these guys should be aiming for and I feel there are a few who have been unlucky to miss out.”

With wide man Biggs opening his account with a well-taken try in the 45-3 drubbing of Albi, Tait said: “It can be frustrating for Tom, because the ball just doesn’t seem to be finding its way to him as much as he or we would like.

“I’ve worked with some of the best wingers in the business, guys like Martin Offiah, and all they want is a one-on-one opportunity. I think sometimes with Tom we’re trying to give him a three-man overlap all the time, when all he actually needs is a sniff. We saw on the weekend he picked a pass off his toes in the middle of a crowd, beat three men with his footwork and set up a ruck from which we scored in the other corner. It’s definitely something we’ve talked about, he has that bit of magic about him and we’re making a conscious effort to get him more ball in hand so he can do what he does best.

“I pull players into my office on a Monday morning if they need to be shown mistakes or whatever on the video, and he’s someone who has never been on that list so far. He keeps coming and asking me what can he do better, and my answer to him really is that he’s been going well. It’s obviously frustrating for the lad because he wants more of the ball, but he’s somebody that I rate and hopefully we can get the best out of him as the weeks go on.

“He’s actually surprised me with his defence, to be fair, because knowing that he was a little guy I probably had a lot of preconceptions about how he would fit in to our system. In the past when I’ve worked with smaller players I’ve basically had to change the whole defence to account for them, but he is someone who hits hard and tackles well above his weight. He can fit into two or three different systems with no problem at all, and it just gives you plenty of options when you’re deciding on a game plan.”

With fullback Charlie Amesbury hitting the limelight after three tries in two outings, Tait added: “Charlie basically came into the team to fill a hole with Alex Tait being injured, but he’s got a bit of the X-factor about him and has really taken his chance with both hands.

“He’s scoring tries that none of our other players could score, he’s worked incredibly hard in the gym over the summer to put on some weight and you can really see him using it to power through the tackles. He’d be the first to admit that his positional play needs a fair bit of work, but he’s been chucked in at the deep end and responded really well to the challenge.”

With flanker Will Welch another to have shone in recent weeks, Tait said of the youngster: “He’s been outstanding, and it’s really amazing how a 19-year-old kid can come in and spur everything on.

“In one of my speeches to the lads I basically said that this kid has come on in Padova for less than 20 minutes and still been my man of the match. He was the best player by an absolute mile that day, which probably says how bad the rest of the lads were, but since then he’s started against Albi and Bath and been superb in both games.

“Kids will only go for so long, and we have to be sensible about how we manage his workload but hopefully he can get a good run over the next month or so and then after Christmas get involved with the England Under-20s stuff. That’s important for his own development, and I would never dream of denying someone the chance to play for their country even if it ended up being detrimental to the club.

“It’s great to see him doing so well though, and he’s provided the spark that everybody needed. He’s worked very hard in the gym over the summer and put on some good muscle, which is really paying dividends now.”