David Tait (5 July 1987 – 12 December 2012) was a professional rugby union player for Sale Sharks in the Guinness Premiership.

Career

Tait played as a Number 8, although he could also operate as a Flanker. He also represented Scotland at rugby sevens. Tait made his Sale debut in a Powergen Cup match against Llanelli Scarlets. He "left the club in 2010 after suffering persistent injuries, having made just 40 appearances".

David Tait

Tait represented the England Under 20 team. He was called up to the England sevens training squad for the 2008–09 IRB Sevens World Series. However, Tait did not represent England and later competed for Scotland at the 2009 Dubai Sevens.

David Tait

In November 2011, Tait started a career at KPMG Hong Kong in the Corporate Finance team. While there, he also became captain for the Kowloon RFC first fifteen. He went on to lead the first team to their first Hong Kong Premiership League title in 30 years, during the 2011–2012 season.

David Tait

Personal life

Tait was born in Sale, Greater Manchester, England, where he attended Sale Grammar School. Later he attended Sedbergh School and took a history degree at Manchester University. He was of Scottish descent on his father's side. His father Campbell Tait, a judge, hanged himself in 2004.

Death

Tait died in an apparent suicide after falling from the roof of the Harbourview Horizon apartment block in Hung Hom, Hong Kong, on 12 December 2012. The Hong Kong national rugby union team wore black armbands during the 2012 Cup of Nations in his memory.

References

External links

Sale Sharks profile

Scotland profile

1987 births

2012 deaths

2012 suicides

English rugby union players

Rugby union number eights

Sportspeople from Sale, Greater Manchester

Rugby union players from Greater Manchester

Sale Sharks players

English people of Scottish descent

People educated at Sedbergh School

Alumni of the University of Manchester

English expatriates in Hong Kong

Suicides in Hong Kong

Deaths from falls

Male rugby sevens players

Scotland international rugby sevens players