Mathew Tait has been talking to the best in the business to prepare for his England debut against Wales.
 Tait, who will be 19 on Sunday, has been pumping Jonny Wilkinson and Rob Andrew for as much information as he can ahead of Saturday's big event. And World Cup winner Wilkinson has been happy to oblige his young Falcons team-mate - the pair have been locked in conversation for most of the last 48 hours and that's likely to continue in the build-up to Saturday's Six Nations opener at the Millennium Stadium. Tait believes he can't go far wrong if he treads the same path as his Newcastle co-captain and also listens to his boss Andrew, whose England records Wilkinson has been systematically overtaking. "Jonny is a fantastic role model and I will try to follow what he has achieved, although that will be tough," said Tait. "I've never been nervous about playing and just want to get on with things. I believe in my skills and that they will carry me through. "At the start of the season my goal was just to get in the Newcastle team and, to be honest, this is all a bit of a shock. "I'll just prepare as I do normally. You've just got to get on with it. "Jonny has been a great help this week briefing me about what to expect in terms of the demands from you lot (the media) and the pressures of being an England player. "Jonny was in a similar position to me, being young when he made his debut, but he hasn't done badly, has he?" Wilkinson, still recovering from his knee injury, has been giving Tait chapter and verse in the methodical way only he can of what playing for England entails. Tait will be the youngest player to represent England since Wilkinson came on as an 18-year-old replacement against Ireland in 1998. He will also become the 14th youngest England player on the all-time list and the youngest England centre for half a century. A product of Barnard Castle school where Andrew and the Underwood brothers, Rory and Tony, learned their early rugby, he has been fast-tracked through the England system. He scored a try on his Newcastle debut last year when he was still a schoolboy and he has made 12 appearances for the Falcons this season, scoring five tries. And younger brother Alex is also coming up in the England ranks with an Under-18s appearance on the cards this season. "It is a fantastic opportunity and I am just grateful for that," said Tait. "I've just got to prove I'm worth that position in the team. It's a dream for everyone to represent their country and for me it's come earlier than expected. "Rob has also been talking me through it and telling me what to expect and that I have the ability to cope at this level, so on that front he has been a great help. "Obviously its going to be a lot easier having Noonie (Jamie Noon) playing inside me because we know each other's game relatively well." Noon, with five caps under his belt but also about to make his Six Nations debut, could be forgiven if he felt Tait was getting a little bit too much attention, but that's not the case. "This is all new to him and he has taken it in his stride and that's a credit to him," said Noon. "The way he plays is refreshing to me. I have been in the game a little while and am possibly a bit long in the tooth, but this guy coming in inspires people around him. "The way he plays he just has a go, which is fantastic. He looked good at the first training session with the club, was skilful and quick but I didn't know it (an England chance) would come so soon. "He has shown in the games he has played that he is more than capable of handling the pressure. "He is good enough and quick enough to cope with whatever Wales or anyone throws at him." | 
