Newcastle Falcons' Alex Tait to retire from rugby

Newcastle Falcons' Alex Tait will retire from rugby at the end of the season after 16 years as a professional rugby player.

He has played 265 times for the Falcons, ranking fourth on the club's all-time appearance list. Tait has scored 40 tries during his career, including a hat-trick on his debut in January 2008. He plans to pursue a career outside of rugby and is content with his decision.

“I haven’t sought another contract anywhere, and everything’s just telling me it’s the right time,” said the former Barnard Castle School pupil, who played his junior club rugby with Consett RFC.

“I’ve been doing this for 16 or 17 years, which I’ve absolutely loved, and it just got to the point where I wasn’t even hunting out a contract for next season. That kind of told me that I’d made up my mind, and I’m just ready for a change.

“Being a professional rugby player for 17 years isn’t great for your body, but I’ve been lucky enough not to have the decision forced upon me by injury or anything like that.

“You’ve got to make the leap sometime, and I just felt this was the best moment to set something up for me and my family over the longer term. I’ll give it a good go, but of course I’ll look back really fondly on my time with Newcastle Falcons.”

Tait explained: “I’ve managed to sort out a potential job at a wealth management firm in Newcastle, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into that. I’ve just got some exams to pass which I’m on with at the moment, and I’m looking forward to taking that next step.

“In terms of my time at the Falcons, I’ve played with and against loads of great players, and made friends for life. I won’t start naming them because I’m bound to forget loads, but I’ve enjoyed testing myself at that level.

“Not everyone gets to say that, and then the fact I’ve been able to do it for so many years – I feel really blessed to have been in that position.”