Updated: Ex-Scottish international Alan Tait quits as director of rugby at English club two weeks ahead of new season

The 62-year-old was appointed as director of rugby at the Gateshead club at the beginning of May but has now quit ahead of the new English Regional 1 North East season kicking off on Saturday, September 26, citing the 140-mile round trip from his Kelso home to their Swalwell ground as his primary reason for that decision.

A club spokesperson said: “Alan Tait has stepped down as director of rugby.

“He has explained that he has been really struggling with the travel from his home in Scotland.

“In the short term, we will cover his role within our existing coaching and management team whilst we consider our options.

“Blaydon have already had a very strong pre-season, and we don’t see this impacting on anything we are trying to achieve as a club this season.”

The club played their first pre-season friendly away to nearby Ryton on Saturday, September 5, with Tait watching on as they won what turned out to be his only game in charge 50-7, but went on to lose their second, at home to County Durham’s Barnard Castle seven days later, by 33-19.

Their third and last, hosting Northumbria University, follows this Friday, with kick-off at 7.30pm.

Blaydon, fifth-placed finishers in their 12-team fifth-tier league last time round, begin next season away to York on the 26th and that’s followed by a trip to East Yorkshire to take on Driffield on Saturday, October 3.

Their first home game isn’t until Saturday, October 10, and that’s against Northumbrians Alnwick.

Tait’s short-lived role at Blaydon was his third in North-East England following two years playing as a centre at the old Newcastle Falcons, from 1996 to 1998, and three as their head coach, from 2009 to 2012.

As well as 27 caps for Scotland’s national rugby union team between 1987 and 1999 and two tests for the British and Irish Lions in South Africa in 1997, Tait has represented his homeland and Great Britain at rugby league, the former four times in 1995 and 1996 and the latter in 14 games between 1989 and 1993.

Tait, a roofer by trade, also played rugby union for Edinburgh from 1998 to 2000 as well for the Tynesiders, now renamed Newcastle Red Bulls, and Kelso.

Those union postings sandwiched eight years playing rugby league in England, for Widnes from 1988 to 1992 and Leeds from 1992 to 1996.

Following his retiral as a player in 2000, his first coaching role was as an assistant with the Scottish national team and he later worked for the Borders, a short-lived successor to the Galashiels-based Border Reivers, before heading back south of Hadrian’s Wall to Newcastle.

More recently, he was head coach at Southern Knights for their 2023 Fosroc Super Series season after joining the since-scrapped Melrose-based team as defence coach the year prior.