Tait's Cup dream dashed

Mathew Tait's hopes of crowning his school career by helping Barnard Castle win the Daily Mail Under 18 Cup at Twickenham on April 3 have been dashed by England.

The centre, who scored a decisive try in their semi-final win, already knew he would be in Durban with the England Under 19s contesting the World Championships but hoped the management would allow the school to fly him back for a weekend on which they play a group game agains Ireland, a side they beat by 50 points recently.

'Although Mathew wants to play with his mates at Twickenham, England do not believe it is in his interests physiologically to come back,' said a bitterrly disappointed Martin Pepper, coach of Barnard Castle.

'It seems abit rich since travelling around the world is no big deal for young sportsmen these days.

'There is also the fact that we have invested seven years developing him into a player while England have had him for seven months in their Academy, and we have bent over backwards for England in that time.'

Even with Tait, Barnard Castle would have gone into the Final as underdogs and the irony is that opponents Colstons have such a powerful squad that their two England Under 19 players, Warren Fury and Tom Dawes, were not part of the Bristol school's Daily Mail Cup team, since they knew the players would almost certainly be in South Africa.