Tait brothers could bring sibling rivalry to battle of auld enemies

• Rose or thistle?: Alex Tait played for England U20, while Mathew has 31 English caps. Picture: Getty

His older brother, Mathew, who plays for Sale, has long been considered one of England's brightest prospects but, with a Glaswegian grandfather, he could have played for Scotland. While Mathew chose England, for whom he has amassed 31 Test caps, his younger brother Alex may opt for navy blue.

According to sources at the Falcons, where Mathew started his career and where Alex still plays, the younger of the two eldest Tait brothers is contemplating testing family loyalties by opting for Scotland if, of course, he gains selection.

Alex, who was born in County Durham, may choose to hedge his bets and see whether he is included in the England Saxons squad for the international against Ireland on 31 January before making a decision. England are not notably short of full-backs, including brother Mathew who can do a very decent job as the last line of defence.

At 22, Alex Tait is younger by two years. He is a utility back but prefers full-back where he has been a regular starter in the Newcastle XV this season. The Falcons are up to sixth in the Guinness Premiership following their first ever victory against Wasps at Adams Parks last time out. Two Scots, Stuart Grimes (forwards) and Alan Tait (defence), both help out at the club where former Borders coach Steve Bates is the boss. Bates rates the fledgling full-back highly.

"He's an excellent defender, very quick," said Bates recently. "We need to work on his decision making and counter-attacking, but he's a decent kicker and fearless under the high ball."

Tait's father, Alasdair, was born in England but only because his Glaswegian father was in the Navy and based down south. Alasdair insists that he has always considered himself Scottish, while putting his sons under no pressure to play for one country or the other.

"When we watch the Falcons play against Sale we go to the match hoping for a draw, which is what happened earlier this season at Kingston Park," the father said yesterday. "I don't think the boys were happy but we enjoyed the result. We support whichever side we have a family interest in. So if Mathew is playing for England we support England. Alex plays his cards close to his chest and he has an Irish grandmother as well so he could opt for Ireland. He'll let us know when he makes his mind up."

Should Alex opt for Scotland he has some work to do before he can contemplate his Murrayfield debut. With Hugo Southwell, Chris Paterson and maybe even Jim Thompson challenging incumbent Rory Lamont for the No.15 shirt, Scotland have strength in depth in his preferred position. However if Alex states a preference for the thistle over the rose he will be welcomed with open arms because there is no such thing as too much competition for places.

Alex has already represented England at both U18 and U20 age-group level but perhaps the trials of elder brother Mathew will persuade him to head north. Despite a World Cup final performance that saw him hailed as "the future of England rugby" by Mike Catt, the older of the Tait brothers cannot nail down a starting place in Martin Johnson's team.

Scottish scouts have kept an eye on Alex for several weeks and if he decides to move north it would raise the possibility of two brothers lining up on opposite sides of a Calcutta Cup match.

It is difficult to recall an instance of this previously happening in the UK although there is a precedent in the Test arena. In 1999 the two Bachop brothers, Stephen and Graeme, both former All Blacks, played against each other for Manu Samoa and Japan, respectively, at the Rugby World Cup in an era when eligibility was a lot more relaxed.

Incidentally there is a third Tait brother who has played representative rugby at age-group level called Finlay. With a name like that he is surely destined to take the high road to Scotland.