Alan Tait - Knights Reasons for Optimism
Although the Super Series spring is approaching its end, and despite sitting at the bottom of the table, head coach Alan Tait believes there is a reason for optimism within the Southern Knights camp.
AT: “Well obviously looking at results, everyone will say we’ve not done well and we’ve not won a game but we knew it was going to be difficult from the start. We are trying the approach of getting a lot of local, quality players into the team. Going to all the Border clubs and asking if we could recruit players for the Sprint wasn’t easy but they’ve all agreed to support this. We’ve got club players here who have had a long, hard season and have had a little break but they’ve come straight into this season of Super Series. We kept telling them about the level up, they’re going to have to do the extras from what they’re used to doing and to be fair on the lads, they’ve bought into it. On Monday nights they’re going to the gym with Ross Ford, our S&C coach. He gives them a good session and that’s them starting to get the support and provision available to them compared to what they do at club level. It’s more or less been trying to condition the players so they can cope with the demands of the Super Series.
The nature of the competition means we have to wait until the 11th hour to get everyone in. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks before the season started that we’d actually had enough numbers to get a team running, so it has been difficult. But we’ve got a lot of youngsters, and we’ve got players travelling up from Newcastle, so getting it all knitted together was always going to take time. The training is buzzing, coaches are happy and we are getting there…. the Sprint Series has possibly come a bit too quickly for us to really kick on but hopefully we can keep a lot of these guys for the Championship and that we get a good pre-season in the Summer under our belts.”
Despite the results so far, the former Scotland centre and British and Irish Lion feels there have been many valuable lessons for both the players and the coaching staff.
AT: “We’ve got two really good young coaches in Scott Wight and Lewis Carmichael and I’ve given the responsibility for the attack to Scotty. Lewis has got the forwards and the ownership of that area of our game. It’s good for their own development and their coaching careers. As I say, the players have definitely learnt a lot about the standard, how good this Super Series competition is. Watsonians and Ayr are a level above us all and it will take time to get there, but that’s where we want to be. I keep reassuring them that as long as we keep performing, the results will come.”
Captain Russell Anderson believes in what’s happening at the Knights and feels that the team is building something as a whole, and will learn from the more games they play.
RA: “Yes, we’ve got a newish team and we are starting to get an identity and building a culture of what we are trying to do here. Again, a lot of people are buying into that and if we can continue building on this good group of boys who really buy into the system, hopefully next year and into the Championship season we will be really competitive and we will have a good core group of players.
The games so far, in certain parts, we have been competitive. So, it’s just clicking all those parts together into an 80-minute performance then we will come out and get the result. Again, it’s picking up all those experiences and all the other little things you pick up on the way and putting it all together to get a winning performance. We’ve got a youngish squad with a few older heads and boys who have been around the clubs, especially Melrose, for a number of years. The younger lads, we’ve tried to get two players from every Border club as a way of trying to represent the region and getting buy-in to the programme. Again, these are young lads who are trying to push onto the next level and professional rugby. They’ll all be here to gain experience and my role is to try and support their development and help them break through into the professional game.”
For the coach, the chance to play and develop younger players within the Super Series is so important in assessing who might have what it takes to become a professional.
AT: “This is the sword I’ll fall on if I have to, I’d rather have youngsters, as I’ve always done throughout my coaching career…even at Newcastle. I like to find younger players and give them the opportunity. Of course, you need the experience, and that’s where the likes of Rusty and these guys support…we haven’t got many in the squad and that’s something we are talking about just now for the Championship….do we go out and find a few older lads, but that’s talking progress.
I really like working with the youngsters and seeing them kick on. It can be frustrating at times but it’s part of the journey….I just love to see them get on in their lives and rugby careers. Don’t get me wrong, I keep telling them, this is the window for them, you’re on TV, you’ll be spotted and there’ll be opportunities to move onto the next level. I do know of players who have gone down to the Championship and the Premiership and have done well. I’m hoping these boys can kick on and they find a professional career out of the Super Series. This is the nearest and next step into professional rugby. I’m speaking to a lot of professional coaches and they’re always looking at the Super Series and the talent pool we have so it’s great to support these players on their journey.”
