RUGBY: Tindall enjoys his venture into the grass roots game at Minch

The former Bath and Gloucester legend, who also earned 75 caps for England, starred in the Minchinhampton 1st XV’s 51-5 win over Gloucester All Blues which maintained their 100 per cent record this season with six wins out of six.

As one wag in the crowd noted: “It was handy having a World Cup winner playing in our midfield as it was the first time our wingers had seen the ball all season.”

The prospect of an England international footballer playing 10 levels below the Premiership – as Tindall did on Saturday – is unthinkable but Tindall seemed to genuinely enjoy the experience.

After the game Tindall tweeted: “Lovely little run out for @MinchRFC today, quality old skool club love it!!!”

Watching on the sidelines were his wife Zara Phillips, the London Olympics silver medal-winning eventer and granddaughter of the Queen, along with the youngest member of the crowd, their baby daughter Mia.

“Mike was one of five players who took part in a capping ceremony after the game, joining in the singalong and he seemed to have a great time,” said J-P Corry, who had encouraged Tindall to run out for his local team.

Corry is not only an executive committee member of the club, he is also the Ireland Exiles U18s manager as well as the Exiles’ South West and South Wales region director and coaches the U14s at Cirencester RFC.

Corry said: “Mike was definitely holding plenty back in the game but the All Blues’ Nos. 11 and 13 seemed to fancy their chances against him and at one point he was the victim of a high tackle – but he just got back up and started laughing.”

Minchinhampton, having moved to a new ground last year, are keen to get rid of their temporary changing facilities and build a clubhouse, and Corry has been talking to Tindall on and off over the last two years with a view to possibly getting involved in some fund-raising activities.

“He is a bloke who loves grass roots rugby and seems to relish the camaraderie of it all,” added Corry.

“He lives on the Gatcombe estate which borders two sides of our ground and the first thing he sees when he gets to the end of his drive are our posts.”

Tindall began his celebrated pro career at Bath before joining Gloucester in 2005, playing 181 games for the Cherry & Whites.

He was made player-coach in 2012 but failed to earn a new deal under the new David Humphreys regime at Kingsholm.

“After he left Gloucester in late June he came along and joined in our touch rugby sessions,” said Corry.

“There were no requests for autographs or selfies – and he has been regular ever since. Then he started joining in our proper twice-weekly training sessions.

“He’s not done any coaching as such but he has definitely given us a few tips and introduced some new techniques.”

How many games Tindall chooses to play for Minch remains to be seen but Corry is hopeful he will play throughout the season.

“He has paid his subs and his match fees for the entire season so I am pretty sure it will not be a one-off, although we have no expectations at all and there is no pressure on him to play.

“After this coming Saturday he is away at the World Rugby Classic in Bermuda and he then has some media commitments, but I’m hoping he will be back playing for us again in December.”

Hurricane Gonzalo notwithstanding, 2003 World Cup winner Tindall will line up for the Classic Lions in what is the 27th year of the popular legends rugby tournament in Bermuda.

Among the world class ex-pros who will do battle this year are Percy Montgomery, South Africa’s most capped player, and Tindall’s Argentinean international contemporary Felipe Contepomi.

Tindall’s Classic Lions’ first game is on the second afternoon of the eight-day tournament (November 9) when they take on the United States.

The organisers insist that the Classic will go ahead despite half the venue’s floodlights at North Field, National Sports Centre in Bermuda being destroyed by Gonzalo.