But before throwing in his lot with rugby league at the end

But before throwing in his lot with rugby league at the end of 1988, he had proved himself a strong, capable midfield linchpin. And if his display for Scotland A in the 50-point victory over the Welsh second-string last month was anything to go by, he remains every bit as effective.
Tait was a firm favourite to face England just over a fortnight ago, but Richie Dixon, the Scottish coach, felt a rushed return to full international rugby would be asking too much. England’s record victory forced a re- think.Given that the Lions selectors have also registered an interest it has been quite a week for the honorary Geordie – Tait was one of seven centres included in this week’s preliminary squad. He is 99 per cent certain to face the Irish; his midfield partner will be either Tony Stanger, who impressed against England, or Gregor Townsend, who may be moved outside to make room for the more orthodox Craig Chalmers at outside-half.There are two other changes in the Scottish 21. Duncan Hodge, the Watsonians stand-off, is included – a move that suggests Chalmers has every chance of a recall – as is Cameron Glasgow, the Heriot’s wing who went to South Africa with the World Cup squad in 1995 but remains uncapped. Two centres, Ronnie Eriksson and Scott Hastings, and the right wing, Derek Stark, drop out to accommodate the newcomers.SCOTLAND SQUAD (v Ireland, Murrayfield, 29 February): Backs: G Armstrong (Newcastle), C Chalmers (Melrose), C Glasgow (Heriot’s FP), D Hodge (Watsonians), K Logan (Stirling County), B Redpath (Melrose), R Shepherd (Melrose), A Stanger (Hawick), A Tait (Newcastle), G Townsend (Northampton). Forwards: S Brotherstone (Melrose), J Ellis (Currie), D Hilton (Bath), S Munro (GHK), A Reed (Wasps), I Smith (Gloucester), T Smith (Watsonians), M Stewart (Northampton), R Wainwright (Watsonians, capt), P Walton (Newcastle), G Weir (Newcastle)..

The Bristol faithful have been bemoaning a lack of passion all season, so it came as a welcome shock to see the sleeping giants of English rugby wake up with a bang in their Courage League match at the Memorial Ground last night. Mind you, few Bristol men have ever needed much excuse to roll up their sleeves against the Cherry and Whites of Gloucester. Professionalism may have changed many things but pure, undiluted West Country rivalry remains sacrosanct. How strange, then, that the appointments panel should have asked Doug Chapman, of Scunthorpe, to referee a confrontation that was always likely to rattle a few teeth and rock a few foundations. Perhaps he thought he had been listed for a Bristol Rovers football match – the venue is home to both clubs these days, so a degree of confusion might be forgivable. Whatever, he seemed almost petrified by the crimson hue of the proceedings.
It took the referee a full 30 minutes to deliver a general warning to the captains – three minutes would have been a more sensible call – and the only saving grace from his point of view was that he had been spared the indignity of officiating in the hard old days of the 1970s, when real rogues like Mike Fry and Mike Burton used to swap pleasantries.After seven consecutive league defeats – to make the contrast as stark as possible, Gloucester had won seven on the bounce – Bristol could not afford to contemplate anything other than victory.

They achieved it through the right boot of Paul Burke, the Irish outside-half landing six penalties, two from near half-way and two more under severe pressure in the last nine minutes.It was a brave performance by Burke in more ways than one. After 51 minutes he kicked his third penalty within seconds of receiving a heavy high tackle from Rob Fidler, the Gloucester lock. The referee showed Fidler the yellow card and there was an even bigger cheer from the Bristol partisans when the touch-judges raised their flags to signal his successful kick.That gave Bristol a six-point lead but within three minutes, it was wiped out by a short-range try from Pete Glanville, converted by the accurate Mark Mapletoft, who then added a penalty to put the visitors in the driving seat at 13-9.However, the Bristol forwards raised themselves sufficiently to put Burke into scoring positions and with Martin Corry, their captain, showing precisely why he is one of three uncapped players in the Lions’ preliminary party named on Monday, they finally slammed the door on their most historic rivals.Bristol: Penalties Burke 6. Gloucester: Try Glanville; Conversion Mapletoft; Penalty Mapletoft; Drop goal Catling.Bristol: P Hull; D Tiueti, F Waters, K Maggs, B Breeze; P Burke, R Jones; D Hinkins, M Regan, K Fulman, C Eagle, S Shaw, M Corry (capt), E Rollitt, C Short.Gloucester: C Catling; M Peters, D Caskie, M Roberts, M Lloyd; M Mapletoft, S Benton; A Windo, C Fortey, A Beacon, R Fidler, D Sims (capt), P Glanville, S Devereux, N Carter.Referee: D Chapman (Scunthorpe).. A revolutionary plan to hold the penalty shoot-out before playing extra time if a match is level after 90 minutes was approved by the referees’ committee of Fifa yesterday. After a two-day meeting in Zurich, the committee approved the idea, which does not need the assent of the game’s law-making body, the International Board.
Andreas Herren, a spokesman for football’s world governing body, said: “This decision comes under Fifa regulations for competitions. So if a national association wants to organise its cup competition using this method, they are free to do so.

Uefa, for example, could introduce this at the next European Championship.”In other wide-ranging proposals to make the game more attractive, the committee told Fifa that players scoring a goal by deliberate handball should be sent off, that the back-pass rule should be extended to all parts of the body and that the goalkeeper should be allowed to move along his line when facing a penalty. Some of the items will be discussed when the International Board meets in Belfast on 1 March.Herren added: “Some of the items on what we have called the referees’ shopping list can be activated immediately, like the penalty kicks before extra time, and some of them need to be discussed by the Board, but they are all being introduced to make the game more attractive.”. Ieuan Evans is unlikely to play again before Wales’ Five Nations’ Championship match against England at Cardiff Arms Park on 15 March because of injury. That leaves his club, Llanelli, with an unwanted gap to fill during a crucial part of their season.