Mike Tindall
Encyclopedia
Michael James Tindall, MBE (born 18 October 1978) is an English rugby player who plays outside centre for Gloucester Rugby
and has captained the England
team. He is married to Zara Phillips
, the daughter of the Princess Royal
and the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II.
, Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, and was educated at the private, fee-paying Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield
, while his father Phil captained Otley
..
straight from school, as an 18-year-old in 1997. At that point the centre pairing at Bath and England were Jeremy Guscott
and Phil de Glanville
. But after the 1999 Rugby World Cup
, Tindall played regularly at both club and country level, making his debut against Ireland at Twickenham in 2000 alongside Mike Catt
.
Despite criticism over the years, in particular from Will Carling
and ex-Bath fly-half Stuart Barnes
, he cemented the outside centre position as his own with a partnership with inside centre Will Greenwood
, playing in the 2003 Rugby World Cup
. Tindall played in the number 12 jersey and played at outside centre, with Greenwood in the number 13. The shirt numbers often misled people into thinking they played the other way round but Tindall usually lined up outside Greenwood. He was dropped for the semi-final in favour of Mike Catt
, whose kicking was required in the rainy weather, but Tindall was reinstated in the final.
Tindall missed the 2005 Six Nations
with a foot injury and subsequently failed to regain his fitness for the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
. Described by England's former head coach, Andy Robinson
as the 'heartbeat' of the side, Tindall was gradually finding his way back to form following a lengthy absence from the game during 2005.
Tindall's contract was up for renewal, but Bath had a strict salary cap policy, and after falling out with Bath owner Andrew Brownsword
over the offer of an early testimonial game and further concerns over his long term fitness, Tindall ended his eight-year association with Bath and joined their West Country
rivals Gloucester Rugby on a three year deal worth £
150,000.
for England was much criticised, with many people claiming that the bulky partnership lacked imagination and play-making ability. Tindall has a strong cult following however, and is often nicknamed "The Fridge" due to his sizeable bulk.
During his recuperation from another injury in 2005, Tindall entered the prestigious British Poker Open tournament, finishing in 3rd place in his heat before being eliminated by John Gale
. On 18 November 2006 Tindall made his first Guinness Premiership start of the season against third-placed Wasps. Troubled by a calf injury so far into the 2006/07 season, he had made only two appearances as a replacement, against Worcester and Irish Tindall came back from his injury however with a much more highly rated run of form. His 10, 12 and 13 partnership of Ryan Lamb, Anthony Allen and himself inspired him to play more attacking and exciting rugby and since has become a Gloucester Rugby favourite. Gloucester supporters now affectionately hold him with high regard and he continued the season extremely well in helping Gloucester Rugby with his own running abilities, powerful defence and tactical kicking to top spot of the Guinness Premiership.
Tindall was again included in the England starting line up for the 2007 Six Nations
opener against Scotland at Twickenham
, under new head coach Brian Ashton
. Selected to play outside former Rugby League
star Andy Farrell, the pair combined to make what is arguably the largest centre partnership in international history.
In April 2007 playing away against Newcastle Falcons in the Guinness Premiership, Tindall broke his leg in a tackle on Toby Flood and this forced him to miss the rest of the season, including the Guinness Premiership final, where his leadership would have been critical in a young backline. This also precluded his selection for the 2007 Rugby World Cup
.
In October 2007, after recovering from injury, Tindall returned to the Gloucester Rugby starting line up, against Worcester Warriors at home, in the Guinness Premiership. Tindall had a fairytale comeback, scoring a try to the Shed's delight. He has since played most of Gloucester Rugby's games scoring a handful of tries including one against Ulster Rugby in the Heineken Cup, where he contributed to Gloucester Rugby setting a new record in the Tournament's history, the fastest time to score 4 tries and collect the try bonus point.
On 7 December 2007 against Bourgoin in the Heineken Cup, Tindall limped off the field with a severe shin injury sustained in a similar tackle from that done against Newcastle last season when Tindall broke his leg. Despite this injury, Tindall recovered fast and played the following week, and continued his form for Gloucester.
In February 2008 Tindall was named in England Head Coach Brian Ashton's squad for the upcoming 6 Nations tournament, and thus started for England at outside centre against Wales at Twickenham on 2 February 2008. Early in the second half of the game, Tindall dived on the ball in open play, landing on Welsh full-back Lee Byrne's foot which pressed up into his chest. Tindall was stretchered off showing signs of severe pain, but the immediate belief was
damage to his ribcage, however 45 minutes later he was rushed to hospital, where it became clear he had punctured his lung, and also torn a 2 inch tear in his liver, from which 2 pints of blood bled before clotting. Tindall spent the following 5 days in intensive care before he was released to return to his home at Gatcombe Park.
Tindall has since stated in a press conference that he's just happy to be alive after his ordeal, but is looking forward to returning to the rugby field for Gloucester in what he hopes will be towards the "business end of the season" (April), however, this seems quite unlikely bearing in mind his ordeal. In January 2008, Tindall announced a new 3 year deal signed to remain at Gloucester Rugby until the end of the 2011 season.
, the daughter of the Princess Royal
, and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips
. Phillips is the granddaughter of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh
. The wedding was held on 30 July 2011 at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh with the attendance of all senior members of the Royal Family
.
On 8 January 2009 he was again convicted of drink-driving, was banned from driving for three years and fined £500, with £75 costs. This was the consequence of an incident on the M4 motorway
when Tindall was stopped by Gloucestershire Police who required Tindall to take a breath test, on 15 March 2008, following a day out at Cheltenham Racing Festival
with Zara Phillips
.
Gloucester RFC
Gloucester Rugby are a professional English rugby union club situated in the west country city of Gloucester. The club plays in the domestic Aviva Premiership...
and has captained the England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
team. He is married to Zara Phillips
Zara Phillips
Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips, MBE is the second child and only daughter of Princess Anne and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips and is 13th in the line of succession to the throne...
, the daughter of the Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
and the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II.
Early life
Tindall was born in OtleyOtley
-Transport:The main roads through the town are the A660 to the south east, which connects Otley to Bramhope, Adel and Leeds city centre, and the A65 to the west, which goes to Ilkley and Skipton. The A6038 heads to Guiseley, Shipley and Bradford, connecting with the A65...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, and was educated at the private, fee-paying Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School is an independent school in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. QEGS is distinct from most other schools in that it was founded by Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I in 1591 at the request of leading citizens in Wakefield 75 in total and some of whom formed the...
, while his father Phil captained Otley
Otley R.U.F.C.
Otley Rugby Union Football Club is an English rugby union club representing Otley in the City of Leeds district of West Yorkshire. Founded in 1865 it broke away from the RU in 1895...
..
Bath
Tindall joined BathBath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
straight from school, as an 18-year-old in 1997. At that point the centre pairing at Bath and England were Jeremy Guscott
Jeremy Guscott
Jeremy Clayton Guscott is a former rugby union outside centre who played for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions. On rare occasions, he has also appeared for England on the wing....
and Phil de Glanville
Phil de Glanville
Philip Ranulph de Glanville is a former English rugby union player who played at centre for Bath and England.-Rugby career:...
. But after the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
, Tindall played regularly at both club and country level, making his debut against Ireland at Twickenham in 2000 alongside Mike Catt
Mike Catt
Michael John "Mike" Catt OBE is a South African-born former English rugby union footballer who played for London Irish and Bath. He earned 75 international caps for England and played in three World Cup Finals, in 1995, 2003 and 2007...
.
Despite criticism over the years, in particular from Will Carling
Will Carling
William David Charles Carling, OBE is a former Rugby union player for Harlequins, and a former captain of England from 1988 to 1996, winning 72 caps.-Early life:...
and ex-Bath fly-half Stuart Barnes
Stuart Barnes
Stuart Barnes is a former English rugby union footballer, and now rugby commentator for Sky Sports. Barnes played fly-half for Newport RFC, Bristol, Bath; and represented England and the British Lions at international level.-Biography:Born in Essex, Barnes was educated at Rougemont and Bassaleg...
, he cemented the outside centre position as his own with a partnership with inside centre Will Greenwood
Will Greenwood
William John Heaton "Will" Greenwood, MBE is an English former rugby union footballer of the 1990s and 2000s.-Career:...
, playing in the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
. Tindall played in the number 12 jersey and played at outside centre, with Greenwood in the number 13. The shirt numbers often misled people into thinking they played the other way round but Tindall usually lined up outside Greenwood. He was dropped for the semi-final in favour of Mike Catt
Mike Catt
Michael John "Mike" Catt OBE is a South African-born former English rugby union footballer who played for London Irish and Bath. He earned 75 international caps for England and played in three World Cup Finals, in 1995, 2003 and 2007...
, whose kicking was required in the rainy weather, but Tindall was reinstated in the final.
Tindall missed the 2005 Six Nations
2005 Six Nations Championship
The 2005 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the sixth series of the Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
with a foot injury and subsequently failed to regain his fitness for the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
In 2005 the British and Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing 7 tour matches against first and second division clubs from the National Provincial Championship series, 1 tour match against the national New Zealand all Māori club, and 3 official test...
. Described by England's former head coach, Andy Robinson
Andy Robinson
Richard Andrew 'Andy' Robinson OBE is an English rugby union coach and retired player. He is currently the head coach of Scotland.Robinson played as an openside flanker for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions...
as the 'heartbeat' of the side, Tindall was gradually finding his way back to form following a lengthy absence from the game during 2005.
Tindall's contract was up for renewal, but Bath had a strict salary cap policy, and after falling out with Bath owner Andrew Brownsword
Andrew Brownsword
Andrew Douglas Brownsword , is an English entrepreneur, developing his fortune through the greeting cards and gifts of Forever Friends. He has regularly featured on the Sunday Times Rich List, with an estimated fortune of £190 million....
over the offer of an early testimonial game and further concerns over his long term fitness, Tindall ended his eight-year association with Bath and joined their West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
rivals Gloucester Rugby on a three year deal worth £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
150,000.
Gloucester Rugby
After returning from injury in the Autumn of 2005, Tindall regained his England place but this time at number 12. However at club level he continued to play at 13 with the 12 shirt going to Henry Paul. The partnership was heavily criticised as being flat and boring and Tindall spent much of the season showing a poor run of form despite selection week in, week out. It wasn't until an incident at Tindall's girlfriend's birthday party that Henry Paul broke club rules and fell out of favour with Gloucester Rugby coach, Dean Ryan. This brought in the introduction of young centre Anthony Allen, which towards the end of the season helped forged what became the start of a very powerful centre partnership. His partnership with Jamie NoonJamie Noon
Jamie Darren Noon is a rugby union footballer who plays at centre for CA Brive.-Career:Hard-running centre Noon joined the Falcons in the 1998/9 season, after a letter from one of his school teachers alerted the club to a player who had been totally missed by the representative rugby system in...
for England was much criticised, with many people claiming that the bulky partnership lacked imagination and play-making ability. Tindall has a strong cult following however, and is often nicknamed "The Fridge" due to his sizeable bulk.
John Gale (poker player)
John Gale is an English professional poker based in Bushey, Hertfordshire.Gale is a relative newcomer to poker, having only begun playing Texas hold 'em in mid-2004. He first made a name for himself by qualifying for the World Poker Tour 2005 PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure tournament in The...
. On 18 November 2006 Tindall made his first Guinness Premiership start of the season against third-placed Wasps. Troubled by a calf injury so far into the 2006/07 season, he had made only two appearances as a replacement, against Worcester and Irish Tindall came back from his injury however with a much more highly rated run of form. His 10, 12 and 13 partnership of Ryan Lamb, Anthony Allen and himself inspired him to play more attacking and exciting rugby and since has become a Gloucester Rugby favourite. Gloucester supporters now affectionately hold him with high regard and he continued the season extremely well in helping Gloucester Rugby with his own running abilities, powerful defence and tactical kicking to top spot of the Guinness Premiership.
Tindall was again included in the England starting line up for the 2007 Six Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
opener against Scotland at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
, under new head coach Brian Ashton
Brian Ashton (rugby player)
William Brian Ashton MBE is a former rugby union player and the former Head Coach of the England and Ireland national rugby union teams.-Biography:...
. Selected to play outside former Rugby League
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
star Andy Farrell, the pair combined to make what is arguably the largest centre partnership in international history.
In April 2007 playing away against Newcastle Falcons in the Guinness Premiership, Tindall broke his leg in a tackle on Toby Flood and this forced him to miss the rest of the season, including the Guinness Premiership final, where his leadership would have been critical in a young backline. This also precluded his selection for the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
.
In October 2007, after recovering from injury, Tindall returned to the Gloucester Rugby starting line up, against Worcester Warriors at home, in the Guinness Premiership. Tindall had a fairytale comeback, scoring a try to the Shed's delight. He has since played most of Gloucester Rugby's games scoring a handful of tries including one against Ulster Rugby in the Heineken Cup, where he contributed to Gloucester Rugby setting a new record in the Tournament's history, the fastest time to score 4 tries and collect the try bonus point.
On 7 December 2007 against Bourgoin in the Heineken Cup, Tindall limped off the field with a severe shin injury sustained in a similar tackle from that done against Newcastle last season when Tindall broke his leg. Despite this injury, Tindall recovered fast and played the following week, and continued his form for Gloucester.
In February 2008 Tindall was named in England Head Coach Brian Ashton's squad for the upcoming 6 Nations tournament, and thus started for England at outside centre against Wales at Twickenham on 2 February 2008. Early in the second half of the game, Tindall dived on the ball in open play, landing on Welsh full-back Lee Byrne's foot which pressed up into his chest. Tindall was stretchered off showing signs of severe pain, but the immediate belief was
damage to his ribcage, however 45 minutes later he was rushed to hospital, where it became clear he had punctured his lung, and also torn a 2 inch tear in his liver, from which 2 pints of blood bled before clotting. Tindall spent the following 5 days in intensive care before he was released to return to his home at Gatcombe Park.
Tindall has since stated in a press conference that he's just happy to be alive after his ordeal, but is looking forward to returning to the rugby field for Gloucester in what he hopes will be towards the "business end of the season" (April), however, this seems quite unlikely bearing in mind his ordeal. In January 2008, Tindall announced a new 3 year deal signed to remain at Gloucester Rugby until the end of the 2011 season.
England ban
In November 2011 Tindall was fined £25,000 by the Rugby Football Union and was removed from its elite player squad following his behaviour in Queenstown, New Zealand during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Martin Johnson, the England manager, had initially supported Tindall, but it later turned out that management, including Johnson, had been misled. After a formal enquiry, the RFU said that Tindall's actions were unacceptable and would not be tolerated. Tindall said he intended to appeal against the decision.Personal life
On 21 December 2010 it was announced that he was engaged to Zara PhillipsZara Phillips
Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips, MBE is the second child and only daughter of Princess Anne and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips and is 13th in the line of succession to the throne...
, the daughter of the Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
, and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips
Mark Phillips
-Ancestry:-Issue:-Sources:...
. Phillips is the granddaughter of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
. The wedding was held on 30 July 2011 at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh with the attendance of all senior members of the Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
.
Criminal convictions
Tindall has two criminal convictions for drink-driving. The earlier conviction, in 2000, resulted in a 16-month disqualification (which was in itself in excess of the obligatory 12-month disqualification for a first offence).On 8 January 2009 he was again convicted of drink-driving, was banned from driving for three years and fined £500, with £75 costs. This was the consequence of an incident on the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
when Tindall was stopped by Gloucestershire Police who required Tindall to take a breath test, on 15 March 2008, following a day out at Cheltenham Racing Festival
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
with Zara Phillips
Zara Phillips
Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips, MBE is the second child and only daughter of Princess Anne and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips and is 13th in the line of succession to the throne...
.