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PARIS - Mathew Tait looked like he would be a peripheral figure at this World Cup but come Saturday's final the 21-year-old England back will be lining up in his favourite centre position.
The Newcastle midfielder began the competition by twice coming on as a replacement for 2003 World Cup-winner Jason Robinson, the second time during the 36-0 Pool thrashing by South Africa - England's record World Cup defeat - when it looked as if the former rugby league star and ex-England captain had suffered a tournament-ending hamstring problem.
And then an injury during the 14-9 semi-final victory over France to another wing, Josh Lewsey, saw Tait moved out wide with Danny Hipkiss moving off the bench to fill the hole in midfield.
Unlike Robinson, a fellow World Cup winner, Lewsey's hamstring injury was serious enough to force him out of the final against the Springboks and there had been a suggestion coach Brian Ashton would stick with the side that finished the France match for the final.
But instead he recalled Mark Cueto on the wing. That saw Tait, the youngest player in the side, stay alongside inside centre Mike Catt, at 36 England's oldest squad member.
"It is my favourite position," Tait said of his outside centre berth.
"Obviously, when Josh got injured, a wing position was talked about. But I'm just happy to be anywhere in a game of this magnitude."
However, he added being alongside someone as experienced as Catt, who made his England debut in 1994, was re-assuring.
"He calls a spade a spade and tells it how it is."
Not that Tait, a quietly spoken figure off the field, was a silent partner.
"I do certainly speak a lot more on the pitch than I do off the pitch. I'll see how the Boks are defending and pass that information on."
Tait, whose promotion into the starting side was assisted by the knee injury fellow Newcastle centre Jamie Noon sustained against South Africa last month at the Stade de France, the venue for Saturday's final, had a rocky start to his Test career.
On his debut, and on the eve of his 19th birthday, Tait was dumped to the ground by Wales's Gavin Henson in Cardiff on February 2005.
Tait was dropped immediately afterwards by then coach Andy Robinson but became an important member of the England Sevens side that won a silver medal at last year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
That provided both valuable experience of playing in front of large crowds and a path back into the 15-a-side team, although Tait, speaking at England's hotel here Thursday, doubted if anything could prepare him fully for an appearance in a World Cup final.
"Things like the Commonwealth Games, with 50 or 60,000 (spectators) there and in Hong Kong when we won the final with 45 or 50,000, it's obviously a great atmosphere and the pinnacle of being involved in Sevens.
"But I don't think anything in the world would compare to this," explained Tait who was still at school when England won the World Cup four years ago.
Against France, Tait, who in his 18-cap career has also appeared at full-back, kept in check the attacking instincts that have long made him one of the most talked-about players in English rugby union, and instead was seen largely in a defensive role.
"On that defensive thing, it's a team game," Tait said. "If what I have to do for 80 minutes on Saturday is defend the whole time, then so be it. But it would be nice to have a run with the ball at some point."
- AFP
