Tim Stimpson rates the new Matthew Tait No.1 at 15

He's back in the England fold after a three-year absence and it should be just a matter of time before Mathew Tait is back in the starting XV, according to former British and Irish Lions full-back Tim Stimpson.
After his woeful injury troubles, Tait's addition to the Saxons squad was among the more pleasant surprises sprung by Stuart Lancaster  and Stimpson believes, despite England's abundance of talent in the No.15 jersey, only Tait has the all-round game to take the Red Rose forward.
Few finished the last Premiership season in better form than 27-year-old Tait – who managed just three games in his first Tigers campaign.
And a string of blistering performances – highlighted against eventual Heineken Cup winners Toulon – were a far cry from the injury-ravaged end to his time at Newcastle, problems which  resurfaced at Sale and then at Welford Road.
Tait's 38 England caps have seen him shifted all over the three quarters but he finally appears to have found his calling at full-back – the Premiership semi-final win over Quins saw another vintage display. Alex Goode was the England incumbent for the Six Nations before Mike Brown took over during the summer tour to Argentina, while Ben Foden has returned to form and fitness.
Those three fill the full-back slots in Lancaster's new 33-man Elite Squad, but none of them quite fits the bill of a modern No.15 like Tait does according to Stimpson, who also began his career at Newcastle before flourishing for Leicester.
“The position of full-back has really been reinvented since I was playing,” said Stimpson.
“Now you have to be able to start an attack off turnovers and loose kicks, have the confidence to step in and play first receiver when necessary and of course be the last line of defence for your team as well.
“All of the other guys in contention for England have got a strength: Ben Foden with his ability to run at pace, Alex Goode's calm composure and Mike Brown's solid defensive work. But Mathew, with his versatility and natural ability, offers all of those skills as a wonderful all-around ball player, the complete package.
“To have had the set-backs he has had and still come out as smiley and laid-back as ever just shows the strength of the man.
“He had some brilliant games at the end of last season. The Toulon performance was probably the best but as someone who watches every home game I can tell you he was really superb.
“I'm sure Mathew will tell you that he is just delighted to be back playing and targeting a full season at Leicester.
“That will be his priority but if he carries on the way he has been playing then he has to be knocking on the door.”
Tait's last cap for England came back in 2010 under Martin Johnson but the battle with clubmate Geordan Murphy for the No.15 jersey at Welford Road appears to have inspired some of the best form of his career.
Murphy is now part of the coaching staff, where he and Paul Burke will take charge of the back line.
And Stimpson, who like Tait had his fair share of scrapes for the No.15 jersey with the Irish wizard, is intrigued to see how Murphy and Richard Cockerill's good cop, bad cop routine will go down with the players.
“Geordan was always a talented individual and as a person he's a great guy, not an autocratic figure at all,” added Stimpson, who won 19 England caps.
“He would not be the guy shouting and screaming like Richard. His management style will be far more relaxed.
“He has been the captain of the club for a long time. He has everyone's respect: he is always supportive.
“He will want to understand the players and learn what makes them tick by asking questions and listening and I'm sure the players will respond to him. Geordan has always been the kind of guy who is up to any test that the game of rugby can throw at you.
“I remember when he arrived at Leicester he was pencil thin and that got him plenty of stick.
“But by the end of his career he had nicknames like ‘The George Best of rugby' so that tells you how hard he works, he was always evolving as a player and it will be the same as a coach.”
CHARLIE TALBOT-SMITH