Dragons give choirboy Tait a fiery debut

Gareth Thomas (right) of Wales puts his hands in the air as he celebrates victory over England. Picture / Reuters

In the land of hymns and arias, an English choirboy was thrust into an unforgiving conflict and found it a chastening experience. This was a baptism ... by the devil.

A year ago, let's not forget, Mathew Tait was playing for Barnard Castle School, his loftiest ambitions being to break into Newcastle's premiership team.

No amount of muscle tone could conceal his callow youth and absence of international experience, for all coach Andy Robinson's faith in him.

From the moment the 19 year-old centre was picked up by Welshman Gavin Henson - as though he had wandered innocently into a judo contest - and unceremoniously hurled to the ground a few minutes into this acrimonious, nervy encounter, his international education was brutally under way. It was a harsh experience.

The inspirational Henson was at it again early in the second half, pummelling the England man into the turf as the debutant attempted to utilise his scintillating pace.

The pity, from an England perspective, was that Tait was rarely allowed to display his attacking talents before being replaced on the hour by another young man with potential, Ollie Barkley.

Tait's fate reflected England's first half, during which a revived Wales, displaying some of that bravado of old, frequently lived up to the pre-match hyperbole, although they failed to capitalise on some fluid running.

For England, this had been no comfortable preamble to the major fixtures, which continues with France at home and Ireland away.

For six years, the Cardiff factor has counted for little within this theatre. It has been a case of three submissions, three falls by Wales as England racked up more tries in the last three visits to Cardiff than in the previous 40 at the Arms Park put together.

With the roof closed, inducing a curious atmosphere of claustrophobia, the place was awash with optimism again. Partisanship was no less than one could have anticipated, with the Western Mail exhorting its team with a front page which read simply "Just Do It" and a back page which demanded "Believe".

Henson entered into the spirit of the evening by announcing that this was "our best chance" of beating England for years. This was the impeccably groomed second five-eighths who Wales captain Gareth Thomas had opined beforehand "is going to be one of the stars in world rugby".

Since Wales moved from the Arms Park, the fervent singing has sounded decidedly off-key.

Yesterday, Wales hoped that this was not so much about three tenors as three tentative England inside backs: Tait, his Newcastle Falcons team-mate Jamie Noon, whose own international career is still in its infancy, and at first five-eighths Sale Shark Charlie Hodgson, who, though this was his 15th cap, and his sixth in succession, is still regarded in some quarters as Jonny junior.

England have gone from a World Cup-winning team full of leaders, to one in which that commodity is rather less obvious.

Which explains why Celebrity Big Brother Matt Dawson, the World Cup final halfback, at 32 returned from exile in television-land to form an expected effective link with the young guns.

His return was a question of sporting necessity, you could say, considering that England are denied the midfield prowess of Jonny Wilkinson, Mike Tindall and Will Greenwood. This was his 66th cap, more than the combined total of the England back division.

Robinson maintained beforehand that Dawson remained the best in the world in terms of leadership, management and organisation.

In truth, though, there was a lack of the kind of impetus within the England team that in years past would have been provided by a Martin Johnson.

Tait had been offered words of encouragement from Noon and the captain, Jason Robinson, and having thumped himself on opposite shoulders, appeared composed. He would need to be because for 10 minutes Wales were in Herculean mood.

Noon appeared nervy, and errors crept into his game, including the conceding of a penalty, which was not converted. Tait could only man the barricades, although the assault on England culminated in a Shane Williams try.

Hodgson's penalty quelled fears that England would be overwhelmed in those early stages. In cavalier mood, his attempted drop goal struck a post before the interval, before he spurned another penalty.

It was that kind of evening for England on a pitch which was in dreadful condition. It has been recently relaid and ground staff were repairing the torn strips of turf after each scrum. Somehow Wales flowed over it at times in the first half.

It set up a second half which was too edgy to be a classic, but mesmerising for all that.

In the end, Henson kicked the penalty that Wales' overall play just merited. England slumped.

Young Tait, on the bench, must have wondered just what he had walked into.

Still, only France next ...

* Ireland play Italy in Italy today.

- INDEPENDENT