Mike Tindall has been tossed out of the elite England squad – unfortunately not by midgets – and fined an unprecedented £25,000 by the Rugby Football Union (RFU).
The extreme penalty is a result of the England squad’s infamous antics on a night out in Queenstown during this summer’s World Cup tournament in New Zealand.
The England squad were alleged to have drunkenly participated in a dwarf-throwing night at a bar in the South Island town, and Tindall himself was caught on CCTV out and about with a woman later revealed to be an ex-girlfriend of his. After initial denials Tindall later admitted that he was too drunk to remember going to more than one bar with his blonde friend.
Having conducted a full investigation the RFU has said that Tindall had been guilty of ‘unacceptable’ behaviour. Professional rugby director Rob Andrew said, ‘We have considered all the evidence carefully and interviewed the players at length. These actions have not been taken lightly but we believe that in all these cases the sanctions are commensurate with the level of seriousness of what occurred.’
It doesn’t look good for poor old Mike Tindall. Still, at least he has his looks…
By Peter Simpson
