Dickens, who has coached at Northampton Saints, Leicester Tigers and with England Under-20s, managed just one win from his nine Prem games in charge, with Newcastle bottom of the table, five points adrift of Harlequins.

But he did lead Newcastle through their group in the Challenge Cup to set up an enticing last-16 tie against French giants La Rochelle next month.

However, while the Red Bulls spent January signing a host of new players to bolster the squad for next season, there was no talk of Dickens’ future.

And he revealed that Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, in his role as a rugby consultant for Red Bull, had informed him in a phone call that he would not be staying on beyond the summer.

But now with eight Prem games and a Challenge Cup tie still left to play, Dickens departs early.