An England international as a teenager and a World Cup finalist in 2007, Mathew Tait enters his eighth season at Welford Road in 2018/19.

Although his first season with Tigers was affected by injury in 2011/12, Tait returned from 14-month absence during the autumn in 2012 and never looked back.

He scored a try for the Development XV in his comeback match in September 2012, then started the fixture against the Maori All Blacks and missed just one game in the remainder of the campaign, starring in the Heineken Cup quarter-final in Toulon and starting the Premiership Final win over Northampton to collect his first league title.

That season also featured a 100^th Premiership appearance in the win over London Welsh in February 2013.

Mat ended 2014/15 by playing in an England XV’s record win over the Barbarians at Twickenham in this first appearance in national colours for five years and captained Tigers at the start of the World Cup season in 2015/16 as well as in the European Champions Cup semi-final against Racing 92.

Tait, who holds a private pilot’s licence, made his debut for first club Newcastle Falcons in 2004 while still at Barnard Castle School and earned his first England cap against Wales in the 2005 Six Nations as an 18-year-old. The last of his 38 caps came against Australia in 2010.

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Twitter: @taity86 | Instagram: @taitytaity86