Richard Cockerill, Leicester’s director of rugby, has turned his attentions from the scrutiny surrounding Manu Tuilagi to the future of another centre in Mathew Tait, the forgotten England international whose good form has helped propel the Tigers into Saturday’s Premiership play off semi-final at Bath.
Cockerill refused to elaborate on the club’s ongoing internal inquiry into Tuilagi’s conviction last week for assault, which has cost the centre a place in England’s World Cup training squad due to be announced on Wednesday.
“That’s been done to death over Saturday and Sunday,” he insisted. He had far more to say about the future of Tait, 29, who seemed set to join Bayonne next season until the struggling French club became involved in a merger with nearby Biarritz. That proposed deal may yet scupper Tait’s hopes of a move to France, Cockerill admitted. The situation has prompted Leicester to look at ways of retaining Tait after it was announced in March that he had agreed a two-year deal to play for Bayonne.
Cockerill said: “I think that’s far from getting to a conclusion with Bayonne. There is a possibility that he may well stay. It’s a wait and see situation, but it’s not a dead duck. If there is an opportunity we would pursue that because Taity’s been very good for us. He’s a good leader with a lot of experience and he’s stayed fit.”
Tait, who won the last of his 38 England caps in 2010, has repaid Leicester over the last two seasons after initially struggling to overcome an unlucky run of injuries after joining from Sale. Leicester have used him mostly at full-back over the past 18 months, following the retirement of Geordan Murphy, but Cockerill admitted that he should have played Tait at centre earlier this season when Tuilagi and Anthony Allen, his No1 pairing, were both injured.
“We are all smart in hindsight,” he said. “He dealt with Elliot Daly really well the other week and we will need that with Jonathan Joseph at Bath this Saturday.”
Cockerill suggested that Tait could yet be an option for England due to Tuilagi’s ban. “I would not say he’s the first name on the team sheet, but if England need a 13 or a utility back who can play 13, wing, full-back, then he’s an option.‚“
