THE North-East's newest rugby star was back in the region last night to pick up an award.

Mathew Tait, who celebrated his 19th birthday yesterday, made his debut for England against Wales in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

Although the game was a disappointment - England lost 11-9 - the County Durham teenager produced a battling performance.

He saw little of the ball, but did not flinch in the face of some ferocious Welsh tackling, and post-match pundits said he had done nothing wrong during the game.

Several members of Tait's family, including parents Julie and Alasdair, travelled to Wales to cheer him on as he became the youngest player to represent his country since his Newcastle Falcons team-mate Jonny Wilkinson.

One friend of the family said: "We all had a fantastic day. We wouldn't have had that experience without Mathew, and we're all very proud of him."

Tait, who lives in Wolsingham, attended Newcastle's home game against London Wasps yesterday, which the Falcons won 29-28.

Last night, the former Barnard Castle School pupil was honoured at the North-East Sports Awards. He was presented with the Junior Sports Achievement award at a ceremony held in the Seaburn Centre, Sunderland.

The annual ceremony, organised by Sport England and sponsored by regional development agency One NorthEast, honours the best of the region's sporting stars, as well as some of the unsung heroes.

Judith Rasmussen, regional director of Sport England, has been following Tait's career and said he thoroughly deserved the accolade.

She said: "The award is testament to the dedication he's put in to get to this level, which he's reached so much quicker than people anticipated."

Tait is expected to join the England squad again today ahead of their game against France at the weekend.

Other winners at the awards ceremony last night included Steve Harmison, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson and Brendan Foster.