Tait...not good enough??? - UPDATED

[WiggoTiger]

A simple question....does Tait have something on RC as he is pencilled in every week on the team sheet.
IMHO he has been a liability in every game he has played, delaying off loads, kicking aimlessly, poor decision making and terrible tackling.
How did he play before Betham in the centre yesterday??

My backline would be:

Veianu
Thompstone
Betham
Tooma
Pitersen
Williams
Harrison

[sapajo]

A simple question....does Tait have something on RC as he is pencilled in every week on the team sheet.
IMHO he has been a liability in every game he has played, delaying off loads, kicking aimlessly, poor decision making and terrible tackling.
How did he play before Betham in the centre yesterday??

My backline would be:

Veianu
Thompstone
Betham
Tooma
Pitersen
Williams
Harrison

Tait made some excellent tackles unlike a number of his team mates and if he had not, Glasgow would have sailed past 50.

[Southerntiger]

Williams ahead of Burns?!

You tend to need to score tries to win games

[Ian Cant]

I know Tait gave a pass that was intercepted but no one can fault his tackling all season: in fact he is one of the few who tackles and without him scores would have been worse. At the moment the Southern Hemisphere boys, with Manu, when fit, are often out of position or rush madly out of the line to tackle mid air. Defence just has to be massively improved and for that reason we may need to start with Tait, Thomo, Smith and Roberts then bring on Betham etc to score as teams tire. Tait also plays with more heart and soul than some other players.

[TigerCam]

A simple question....does Tait have something on RC as he is pencilled in every week on the team sheet.
IMHO he has been a liability in every game he has played, delaying off loads, kicking aimlessly, poor decision making and terrible tackling.
How did he play before Betham in the centre yesterday??

My backline would be:

Veianu
Thompstone
Betham
Tooma
Pitersen
Williams
Harrison

To single out Tait is IMO a bit mean. Tait did not destruct alone to cause the loss. He was one of 23 talented individuals that had no structure, no fortitude, unable to react under pressure and no effin idea. That responsibility lays firmly at the door to the coaching staff. They are either blind or totally naive!!

[BFG]

A simple question....does Tait have something on RC as he is pencilled in every week on the team sheet.
IMHO he has been a liability in every game he has played, delaying off loads, kicking aimlessly, poor decision making and terrible tackling.
How did he play before Betham in the centre yesterday??

My backline would be:

Veianu
Thompstone
Betham
Tooma
Pitersen
Williams
Harrison

Tait is a fine player but unfortunately the physicality of the game combined with the organisation of professional defence coaching is not to his advantage these days.
My backline would be...

9. Kitto
10. Harrison
11. Smith
12. Toomua
13. Betham
14. Thompstone
15. Burns

Naturally aggressive frontline defenders who are very strong both in and out of contact.
Defence comes first for me and that lot from 10 to 14 thrive on the physical stuff in my opinion and also have the ability for the rest to come.
15 is perfect for how Burns wants to play in my view and offers him the best position for success.
To be honest though I think it is needed to look further than the backs as the pack is the bigger issue for me, they lack the ability to maintain a level of control required against the top teams.

[Doghashadhisday]

What total rubbish. Tait has put in some try saving tackles and IMHO only him, Thompstone and Laccy came out of the Glasgow game with any credit. People should actually watch games properly

[G.K]

I don't get the continual and over done attacks on Tait. There are many players under performing indivually as well as as a team. One of the biggest problems has been the back row, especially around the ruck. Another is poor first up tackles. Tait made several good tackles on Friday night.

[Timmers]

I've knocked tait in the past but the problems this season are nothing to do with his game. The back line needs to have mix of pace and power as well as organisation and defensive discipline. He is first on the team sheet every week because he does what is asked of him. He keeps his shape and rarely misses a tackle. Yes, he isn't as quick as he once was and I'm not sure he is an 80 min player anymore but that's why we have other strike runners in the team and on the bench.. In fact, several wingers have had the run on tait this season and he's matched them for pace and made the tackle. Hogg, roko, Watson to name a few. The problem we have is up front.
Our traditional strengths of winning the breakdown, having dominant scrums and consistently msking yards on the rolling maul have gone. Too much focus on mauger's dreams of getting quick ball wide and not enough on forming a platform in the right areas of the pitch. We've seen a high turnover of quality forwards, it's no wonder we are struggling.

[GS]

Good point Timmers. Everyone is quick to blame the backs and their coach but as you say the forwards haven't been providing good reliable ball for a while. The scrum has become very tame and beatable over the years and the rolling maul faded after Martin Corrie hung up his boots. For some reason some see this almost as an irrelevance. Long gone are the days when the Tiger's pack was feared and respected and until we can regain some of that fear and respect I can't see a way forward, no matter who we have in the backs. Perhaps we need a new backs coach.

[Norfolk & Goode]

Taity is an exellent defender and superb under the high ball, his work rate is outstanding. Unfortunately these days he lacks the physicality or savvy to break tackles and either make a break or put someone else through. One try scored per season for the last 3 years is low for a player who gets so much ball. I'd still pick him though, until we have a better attacking player that can defend as well as he does!

[drc_007]

Tigers missed 21 tackles against Glasgow, Tait was actually made the third highest number of tackles, double any of the other backs. He missed a single tackle.

The missed tackles were spread evenly throughout the team.

That said, I suspect with a fully fit squad Tait would probably be on the bench since he can cover all positions from 11 -15.

[SirGordonRamsey]

Matt Smith is highly under-rated, I agree with that.

Tait is his own worst enemy, and he knows that. He is a untility back, and there's always better players dedicated to a certain position.

I believe he wants to play centre full time as he did in his early years and for England. Problem is he's not a strong enough ball carrier, he doesn't make too many meters at full back. Ball in hand he's great and in D outstanding, he's just not making as much an impact at the moment.

He tried to leave last season for Bayonne but it fell through, I think he knows he's gone stale here, if he went to another club I can imagine he'd be a fan favourite as he is here. He wants to go let him go.

Still a big Tait fan.

[Iain]

We've always needed a scapegoat. Crane, Lloyd, Goode, Kardooni.... now it seems to be Tait. It's weird really.

[strawclearer]

We've always needed a scapegoat. Crane, Lloyd, Goode, Kardooni.... now it seems to be Tait. It's weird really.

No - it's expedient. Wrong but expedient.