Mike Tindall
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Michael James Tindall MBE (born October 18, 1978 in Wakefield) is a rugby union footballer who plays inside centre for Gloucester and England. He transferred from Bath in the summer of 2005.
Tindall was educated at the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield.
After the retirement of England centre Jeremy Guscott and Phil de Glanville after the 1999 Rugby World Cup, Tindall stepped up to become a regular fixture, making his debut against Ireland at Twickenham in 2000 alongside Mike Catt. Despite receiving criticism over the years, in particular from Will Carling, he cemented the outside centre position as his own with a partnership with inside centre Will Greenwood, playing in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Confusingly for some, Tindall played in the number 12 jersey, but played outside centre, with Greenwood in the number 13. This was due to some superstition about the number 13 and it led to many pundits incorrectly listing Tindall as having played inside centre. He was dropped for the semi-final in favour of Mike Catt, whose kicking was required in the rainy weather, but reinstated in the final.
Tindall was the only single member of England's World Cup winning side, but he has since been living with Zara Phillips, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II.
Tindall missed the 2005 Six Nations with a foot injury and subsequently failed to his regain fitness for the British Lions tour to New Zealand. Described by England's head coach, Andy Robinson as the 'heartbeat' of the side, Tindall is gradually finding his way back to form following a lengthy absence from the game during 2005, a time when he ended his eight-year association with Bath and joined their West country rivals Gloucester.
After returning from injury in the Autumn of 2005 Mike regained his England place, this time switch formally to Inside Centre (and appropriately in the number 12 jersey this time). His partnership with Jamie Noon was much criticized, with many people claiming that the bulky partnership lacked imagination and playmaking ability. Tindall has a strong cult following however, and is often nicknamed "The Fridge" due to his sizeable bulk!
In 2005, Mike entered the prestigious British Poker Open tournament, finishing in 3rd place in his heat before being eliminated by John Gale.