ALL eyes will be trained on Jonny Wilkinson tomorrow night as the former Newcastle Falcon makes an eagerly-awaited return to Kingston Park, and Alan Tait is happy to see the World Cup winner hogging the limelight.
Wilkinson has been named in Toulon’s provisional squad for tomorrow’s Amlin Challenge Cup tie, along with another former Newcastle player, frontrower Carl Hayman.
The England international spent 12 years as a Falcons player before joining Toulon in May 2009, and this will be the first time he has lined up against the club that launched his career.
His return threatens to overshadow a game that Newcastle will surely have to win if they are to qualify for the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup, but given everything he achieved for both club and country before heading across the Channel, Tait insists it would be churlish to begrudge him centre stage.
“If it puts two or three thousand on the gate and raises a bit of money for the club, I’ll be absolutely delighted,” said the Falcons head coach. “Everyone associated with rugby knows what Jonny Wilkinson is all about and appreciates everything he’s done for the game.
“From his time up here, we all know how good a player he is and just how professional he is in everything he does. The one thing you can never take away from him is just how professionally he has handled himself right throughout his career and how much he has given to his rugby.
“The way he trains is exceptional, and with the injuries he’s had, to keep bouncing back is a really tough ask. I’ve been down the road of being injured before, and it’s incredibly tough to come back from just one of the injuries he’s had.
“He’s doing really well and I’m sure he’d love to come to the North-East, show the fans he’s still got it and put one over on us. All of our lads will respect him, and even the young lads who weren’t here when he was at the club will know all about him. It’ll be great for them to take the field against him.”
Hayman’s Falcons career was considerably shorter than Wilkinson’s, but the All Black prop also became a firm fans’ favourite during his time on Tyneside.
The 32-year-old remains one of the most talented tight-heads in world rugby, and if he packs down from the start tomorrow, Newcastle’s inexperienced front row will be in for a difficult night.
“We all know that if Carl cranks it up in the scrum, you’re in for a hard game,” said Tait. “The boys know that just from scrummaging against him in training.
“Carl was a big help in terms of working with our lads and talking to them. It will be a challenge for any loose-head we put up against him.
“He’s another great professional, and he brings a lot more to the table than your average scrummager.
He is probably the ultimate tight-head when you talk about an all-round game.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here