 Tait endured a nightmare debut |
England coach Andy Robinson admits he regrets handing Mathew Tait his England debut against Wales last season. The Newcastle teenager endured a rough ride from Gavin Henson and has yet to play another Test after being dropped.
"Believe me, I look at myself in the mirror every day and regret what happened to Mathew," Robinson told The Independent newspaper.
"The timing of his debut was wrong, it was my fault and it made me question my powers of selection."
Robinson admitted he "shouldn't have put (Tait) in the position he found himself in", but takes solace from his recent resurgence in form.
"That delights me," Robinson added. "I've been very impressed and I have no doubts whatseover that he has a big future ahead of him."
Robinson also reiterated his faith in assistant coaches Phil Larder, Dave Alred and Joe Lydon to help rediscover a winning formula despite criticism over his failure to make any backroom changes.
"These people are world-class and have a tremendous team ethic," he added.
""What I do think is that we must change within ourselves in order to find new ways of empowering the players.
"Change is at the very heart of what we need to be about between now and 2007."