Tait: Looking forward to challenge

Falcons head to the Twickenham Stoop after being cut seven points adrift at the Premiership basement following Worcester's victory over Bath on Friday night.

Quins go into the game 11 places and 27 points above Newcastle, suggesting their ninth successive league win - and 13th on the bounce in all competitions this season - should be little more than a formality.

But after posting back-to-back triumphs in the Amlin Challenge Cup and now preparing to parade new signings Suka Hufanga and Taiasina Tuifua, Tait is upbeat about the challenge.

"Quins are doing very well this term with their unbeaten start, and it is an achievement you have to respect," he said.

"However, we can't let that overawe us. We will focus on our own game and on giving a good account of ourselves.

"I enjoy playing against Quins. They are a good team and we've enjoyed some success in our recent matches against them.

"We won our place in last season's LV= Cup final at the Stoop, we were unlucky not to come away with a bonus point in the league down there and the semi-final backed up our 33-18 win at Kingston Park."

Heralding the new arrivals, Tait added: "I've said before that I believe these lads will bring something special to the squad.

"Tai is a magnificent capture and Suka had a great World Cup. I can't wait to see them out on the field."

Nick Evans, meanwhile, believes Quins cannot be lulled into any false sense of security against Newcastle, who have lost six of their eight Premiership games so far this term.

"Obviously, the league table shows that we are first and they are 12th, but we know they will come down here looking to win," Evans said.

"They were the last team to turn us over at the Stoop in the LV= Cup semi-final last season, so they will have a bit of confidence from that.

"We have to concentrate on the little things, keep it simple and make sure we can back up what was a pretty good performance against Gloucester last Saturday."

Reflecting on the Anglo-Welsh Cup loss to Newcastle, Evans added: "We had a really good campaign in that competition last season and set ourselves up well, and to their credit they came down here and played a really good game.

"We are still hurting from that and we know that we have to be at our best to beat them. In this league anyone can beat anyone, as we have already seen.

"We know it (unbeaten run) is not going to last forever. It will come to an end eventually.

"As long as we keep playing as we are, the results will take care of themselves, but we are under no illusions.

"How we back up after that first loss will be key to our season."

England scrum-half Danny Care makes his first start of the season for Quins, replacing Karl Dickson, who is likely to be sidelined by a finger injury until January.